


Danganronpa: The Penultimate Students

by Glass_Lady



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Don't copy to another site, Fan Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Multi, Murder Mystery, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, sometimes is a sad but I promise there will be hugs in the end
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-09-30 00:39:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 65,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17213882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glass_Lady/pseuds/Glass_Lady
Summary: (Cross Posted from Fanfiction.net)Sixteen high school students find themselves on a remote island with no means of escape. Monokuma, the head of the "Talent Camp for Penultimate Students" declares if they wish to escape, they must kill a classmate without being caught. The only other person on the island is the camp's "Guidance Counselor." Can he, or anyone, be trusted? And so the mystery begins...





	1. Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is a Submit Your OC story I'm writing over on FFN I'm cross posting over here. I haven't carried over my original author's notes, since most of them were just progress things and how long I thought the next chapter would take. I'll update here when each arc finishes, so if you want to be completely up to date check out the FFN version. I'll post the link in the end notes. Hope you enjoy!

_Dear Nori,_

_What do you do when you have a talent, but no one recognizes it? I think I'm a pretty good singer, but my parents never pay attention when I tell them and say its a waste of time to pursue it. There isn't a choir or anything at my school, but I know I'm a good singer. I think I could get really good, maybe even famous! But with no one supporting me, I don't know if I should pursue it or not? What good is being talented if no one else cares?_

_Thanks,_

_A singer (maybe)_

Reijirou Saiki stared at the letter on his cheap laptop screen. He'd been thinking about how to answer this letter for a while. Technically, he didn't even have to answer this question; it wasn't one that his editor had chosen to published for the advice column, but Reijirou had long since decided he didn't like leaving these people hanging for advice. _What kind of counselor would I be if I left them with no answers?_ He thought.

Although, Reijirou wasn't a counselor yet. He was halfway through his senior year at university, but he knew he'd also need to get certified before he could actually start practicing. And before he could even do that, he'd need to pay of his debts. That was also why he had started university late. And why he'd taken this job as an advice columnist. The pay wasn't great, but it was just enough that he could send a little towards the mounting hospital bills and student loan payments. The rest, plus the salary from the convenience store, went to regular bills and food.

Honestly though, Reijirou liked the job. Even if it was remote, he felt like he was helping people. Most of the askers were teens, and despite being a teen not very long ago, his thoughts almost always drifted back to, _I wanna help these kids. All of them._

And so he typed away, getting ready to post on his 'super secret blog,' where he responded to letters that didn't make to the paper. Of course, he couldn't include the original letter (privacy and legal issues), but he could include the signed name and hope, who ever the sender was, they found his advice.

_To a singer (maybe),_

_I could tell you that whether people appreciate your talent doesn't matter and you should just do you regardless! But, I doubt that'd be helpful. Even for adults, not being appreciated for the work you do is hard, and tiring. I would know, trust me._

He paused. Honestly it was less that he was unappreciated and more that he got a rough start on his career. He'd get to be a counselor...eventually. He deleted the sentence anyway.

_My advice then is to find the people that appreciate you. No choir at your school? Start a singing club! Or find a group outside of school, a local choir or a cafe with open mic nights. If you or any of your friends can play an instrument, upload covers to the internet. You will probably get some flack at first, but if you keep working to improve, you will find your audience. And hopefully, if you can show your parents your dedication to your skill, they'll learn to appreciate it._

_Stay strong,_

_Nori_

Reijirou smiled as he clicked the upload button and stretched his arms high above his head. He got up from his swivel chair, yawning; he had a morning class tomorrow, so he ought to go to bed. _I really should have gone to bed hours ago. Its 2 AM. Why didn't I answer letters during dinner, like a sensible person—_

A sudden knock at the door broke his train of thought. _Who could that be, this late?_ He thought as he wandered over to the apartment door and looked through the peephole. It was a middle aged lady in her house slippers, holding some kind of package. He didn't recognize her, but she must be a neighbor. It was a big apartment building; there's no way he could know everyone. Still a little wary, Reijirou left the chain locked and opened the door a crack.

"What is it?" he said quietly, hoping not to wake the neighbors.

"You're Reijirou Saiki right?" The woman said, gesturing slightly to the name beside the door. "I think I got your mail." She held up the package again.

"Oh…" Reijirou slowly shut the door and undid the chain lock. The package was too big to fit through the crack. He opened the door again with a sluggish tug and a yawn. "Thanks I guess. I wasn't expecting a _—_ " He never finished his sentence because the woman grabbed his wrist and painfully turned it behind his back.

Suddenly something was covering his face. It took a full second for his sleep addled brain to realize what was happening. He struggled against the woman's grip on his arm and face, but his already sleepy movements were becoming slower. "Shit! Shit let… go of…" Black swam in the corners of his vision and his eyes became heavy. And all the while the woman said nothing. _No no no no! Why?_ Panic filled his mind even as his thoughts slowed down. _Why...I haven't...I'm not...important enough for this…_

That was his last complete thought before Reijirou lost consciousness.

* * *

Reijirou shifted in the hard wooden chair to get a better position for his head on top of his folded arms on the desk. _I'm gonna have a crick in my neck again from sleeping while working, I know it—_ Except, the chair at Reijirou's deck wasn't wooden. Suddenly awake, Reijirou sat up and jumped out of the chair, panting slightly. He looked around in shock and slowly dawning dread. _This isn't my apartment._

The room he stood in had dark wooden walls, like a cabin he had seen in an American movie once. The sofa on one wall was ratty and well used, and on the opposite wall was a half filled bookshelf. The top shelves help well worn books, but the lower ones held a first aid kit, a length of rope, and various rustic wilderness themed nicknacks, including what looked like a stuffed moose that had seen better days. The desk he'd been sleeping on was mostly bare, just a lamp, a few pencils, an outdated looking tablet, and a name plate. He quickly walked around the desk to see what it said, noticing the other char in front of the desk first before staring in shock at the nameplate.

_Reijirou Saiki, Guidance Counselor_

"What the hell?" he said. What had happened before he blacked out? Had someone hired him while he was blackout drunk or something? He rarely went drinking, but maybe he had blown off some steam...No, he remembered being at home, he went to answer the door, and then—

 _A woman's face— pain in his wrist— something on his face he couldn't_ breath _—_ _blackness panic need to stay awake, fight, do something!— fading away..._

"Holy shit I've been kidnapped." His breath was coming quicker now and he slowly bent down to huddle on his knees, and once again his thoughts turned to why. Why would someone do this? _Breath, Reijirou, you gotta breath, remember your training for this!_ But it was much harder to talk himself out of a panic attack than someone else.

He had almost gotten his breathing settled when he heard a strange click from above him. He looked up and saw an old TV mounted behind his desk had just clicked on. And on the screen was…?

"Upupupu! Man, I didn't realize you'd be such a crybaby. Then again, you therapists are usually touchy-feely types, so what would I know?"

It was...a bear. A half black half white stuffed teddy bear, sitting at his own desk with what looked like an orange martini in his hand. And it was talking.

He slowly stood up. "What the…? A TV show?"

The bear's expression shifted to one of anger. "I'm not just some show! I'm Monokuma!"

Reijirou's eyes widened. It responded. It wasn't prerecorded.

"Uh, this a fake name and face type thing, like those old slasher movies, right?" _Dammit why am I making jokes right now?_ "Like, so I don't know your identity or something? Wait, that's not important; did you kidnap me?! Why? What the hell do you want?!"

Somehow with so few facial features this 'Monokuma' managed to look smug. "I am indeed the one behind your current situation. As for what I want, I thought the office should have made that obvious! You're gonna work for me as the guidance counselor of this fine establishment!"

Reijirou frowned. "Oh right, and you needed to kidnap someone for this perfectly legal establishment." _Seriously why am I antagonizing my kidnapper; he could kill me!_ He took a slow breath to calm himself, and continued, "I'm assuming this offer is non-negotiable?"

"Oh yeah, there are no boats on the island, so you're stuck here and if you don't do your job and follow the rules, you'll receive punishment! In that way you aren't too different from your students. Not that they can know that. Gotta have the two of us 'staff' appear united and all that." Monokuma sipped from his martini.

Biting back the urge to ask how he can drink anything, Reijirou shifted through what information the bear had just revealed before asking, "So what is this 'establishment,' and who are my students? What exactly do you want me to do?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Behind Monokuma appeared what looked like a map of a small island, dotted in forests and small buildings, all surrounded what Reijirou assumed must be a fence. "This here is the Talent Camp for Penultimate Students! A remote, isolated island where those with talents that are not quite up to snuff will learn and grow together in harmony…" Monokuma's half grin seemed to grow wider. "...indefinitely."

Reijirou's stomach dropped. "Indefinitely? You can't keep everyone here indefinitely! We'll run out of food!" He put aside the weird name of the camp for now. He'd deal with whatever the heck a 'penultimate student' was later.

"Don't worry about that!" said Monokuma, "I've been preparing for a long time; there's enough food to last for months, maybe even years! And I doubt you all will be here that long. Someone will graduate."

"Huh? Graduate? There's a way out?" That made no sense; why kidnap him and however many kids just to give them a way to escape? _Oh God how many of them are there? How old? I'm only 23 I can't take care of a bunch of kids…_

Monokuma waggled his finger. "There is indeed! But you'll have to wait for the details just like your students! You may be an employee, but never forget I'm the one running the show! Now in just a few minutes your 16 students will start waking up in their cabins! You should take this time to look over their profiles in the Monopad I have graciously provided for you! In about an hour we will be meeting in the mess hall for formal introductions! You better not be late."

Reijirou stiffly picked up the tablet on the desk and turned it on, still processing this whole situation. 16 students. He was the only adult among 16 students and a mad man hiding behind a robot teddy bear. First he checked for a phone or messaging app, but there was no signal or WiFi, of course. He opened the app labelled 'Student Profiles,' and 16 names popped up in a list. Beside each name was an age, all teens. _Highschoolers. Okay, I think I can deal with teens._ What caught his attention was the last part of each entry. It seemed each student had some kind of title; 'Penultimate' something or other.

"What does it mean to be a 'Penultimate'?" he asked, coughing before adding cautiously, "I mean, I want to uh, do my best possible job, so I should know whatever I can about my students…"

Clapping his hands Monokuma said, "A 'Penultimate' is someone who has a special talent that has not reached its highest potential! Maybe their talent is unappreciated or unrecognized, or they have the passion but not quite enough skill, or plenty of skill but no drive to pursue it! They are all here so that, with our help, they can grow to become proper 'Ultimates'!"

 _Ultimates? Why does that sound familiar?_ Reijirou shook off the the thought; he'd consider it later. "And how will they do that?"

"Upupupu!" Monokuma laughed long and hard before cheering, "By playing The Killing Game of course!" And just as suddenly as it had turned on, the TV monitor shut off again with a click of static.

Staring at the TV monitor, the absolute horror of this situation suddenly crashed down on him. He was trapped on an unknown island with no way off, trapped with 16 teenagers, forced by a crazy person to kill each other. _This can't be real. This has to be a dream_ , he thought desperately. Reijirou bit his lip. There was no time for denial. These kids would be scared; he needed to support them. But how could he when this bear insisted they were both 'staff' at this hell camp? "I'll figure it out," he said out loud, mostly to himself. "I'm not gonna let this happen if I can help it. What kind of counselor would I be if I sat by and let kids die?"

Filled with new determination, Reijirou looked down at the profiles again.

_Shiori Miura, 16, Penultimate Writer_

_Remy Lander, 16, Penultimate Animal Photographer..._

He took a breath, clicked on the first profile, and began to read.


	2. Prologue (part 1)

_Prologue: If At First You Don't Succeed…_

Shiori Miura was not the type to wake up somewhere other than where she fell asleep. Sure, she would occasionally fall asleep at her laptop while she surfed online at night, but waking up in an unfamiliar place? Unheardof. So when Shiori slowly awoke and found herself very much not in her own bedroom, she did not react calmly. In fact, as she took in the brown wooden walls of the tiny cabin, it's set of two bunk beds and bare light bulb hanging overhead, she gave a small scream and began to panic.

"Oh my God? What the heck is even happening?" She jumped out of the bed she had been sleeping on and began checking over herself. She gave a sigh of relief when she realized she wasn't seriously hurt. She was a bit disheveled from sleep, but she still wore the same clothes she put on that morning. The big problem was she had been moved to some unknown location with no one else around and her phone was gone so she couldn't call her parents or the police.

"Oh geez you're finally awake," suddenly came a voice from the door of the cabin as a tall girl entered the room.

Shiori yelped and said, "Who're you? Do you know what's going on?"

The girl shrugged. "I'm Kokoa Uzumaki, Penultimate Chocolatier, and I think we've been kidnapped. Probably." She suddenly held out her hand. "Wanna chocolate?"

* * *

Kokoa Uzumaki: Penultimate Chocolatier

* * *

Shiori stared blankly at Kokoa. She didn't look like a particularly suspicious person. She was just a tall, slightly curvy girl with long straight cherry red hair and droopy brown eyes. She wore a black bubble hem dress with a pattern of red hearts and cherries along the bottom, sheer black tights, and red wedge shoes with black straps. Over the dress she had on a white apron, with a whisk and a small green book peeking out of the pockets. She also wore a silver bracelet with a brown, chocolate shaped jewel on it, a brown lace choker, and a brown and white striped beret.

Cautiously, Shiori took the offered chocolate, and said, "I'm Shiori Miura. Uh, what exactly did you mean by 'Penultimate'? Is it some new slang thing? I mean, I've heard of 'Ultimates' before but…"

'Ultimate' was just slang for a teenage prodigy, someone super talented in one specific field, and honestly it was kind of outdated slang from what Shiori knew. Her parents sometimes used it, and it came up in some older books and movies, but no one she knew her own age ever used it.

Kokoa frowned. "I don't know for sure. It's just what came in my profile on this thing." She held up an outdated looking tablet. On it was some kind of profile of Kokoa, and sure enough it proudly proclaimed her to the 'Penultimate Chocolatier.' "There's a bunch of profiles in here, but there all...wait, now there's one of you!"

"Let me see!" Shiori took the tablet and saw that now at the very top of the mostly blank list of profiles was her own name. 'Shiori Miura, 16, Penultimate Writer.'

* * *

Shiori Miura: Penultimate Writer

* * *

"You're right!" exclaimed Shiori. She clicked on her name and the full profile appeared. It showed a picture of Shiori, with her lavender hair done in its half up ponytail style, pale green eyes bright and happy. She was dressed in the same clothes she woke up in; pink cold shoulder top, gray and white floral skirt, pink knee socks, and gray slip on shoes. It even showed her bracelets and red gem necklace. Beside the picture was some basic information; height, weight, birthday, but at the bottom under 'notes' it read, 'Shiori Miura is an excellent writer, capable of writing in many styles, but she squanders her talent writing trashy fanfiction.'

Shiori's face immediately went bright red and she quickly closed the profile and handed the tablet back to Kokoa. "Well, uh, all the information on there is accurate, sort of...How did you get that tablet though?"

"I found it at the end of the bed I woke up on," Kokoa said, pointing to the bunk above where Shiori had awoken, "You should have one there too."

Shiori went back to the bed and sure enough, another tablet lay at the foot of the bed, along with a plastic bag. She picked up the tablet before checking out the bag; it was full of clothes.  _Wait a second, these are all_ my _clothes,_ she thought as she dug through the bag. "I am getting majorly creeped out by all this," she said, turning back to Kokoa, "What's even going on? I don't think normal kidnappings are supposed to go like this."

Kokoa shook her head, "Tch, how should I know? And are you gonna eat the chocolate I so generously offered you or what?"

"Oh, right," Shiori said sheepishly and popped the chocolate in her mouth. As she bit down her face puckered up instinctually.  _Holy crap, it's so sour!_ But she quickly swallowed the chocolate and gave a shaky thumbs up.

Kokoa scowled and said dryly, "You didn't even try to hide the disgust on your face. Fine, I don't wanna waste my time on rude people. I'm leaving. I've wasted enough time I could have been exploring this place waiting for you to wake up." With that she gave a small 'huff' and left the cabin.

"Wait I— and she's gone. Geez, I was trying to be nice about the chocolate…" Shiori sighed. "Maybe that's how the whole 'Penultimate' thing means. We're talented, but there's some sort of catch? What that profile said..."

Shiori had to admit, the profile wasn't exactly wrong about her. She knew she could write very well in almost everyone genre she'd tried, but most of the time she never wrote anything original.  _And it's not like writing fanfiction is bad or anything! It's fun; I have fun doing it!_ But Shiori could not deny that she shied away from writing original fiction, even though she could. She'd written a few very successful mystery short stories for her middle school literary magazine, and one had even won an international writing contest. But it was then that Shiori had became scared.  _What if my writing isn't good enough? What if people hate it? What is people hate_ me  _for writing it?_

She never had those doubts when she wrote fanfiction; she was anonymous, faceless, and the haters, too, were faceless and a block button away from never bothering her again. She could share her writing with a tiny community who supported her no matter what.

"And that's not a bad thing!" Shiori declared to herself, "Maybe I should try and branch out more, but that doesn't mean my talent is 'squandered', Mr. whoever-wrote-that-profile-thing!" Filled with new confidence, Shiori strode out the door. "Now to figure out what the heck is going on here!"

Shiori blinked at the sudden shift in light, but as her vision cleared she looked around. First she saw another cabin just like the one she just left directly across a dirt path. As she turned to the right she saw a slightly larger building with a sign saying 'Boy's Bathrooms & Showers' above the door next to the first cabin, and then to the right of that another cabin. She glanced back to her side of the path and saw the arrangement was the same; a cabin, a bathroom/shower, and then another cabin. Interestingly, on the roofs of the shower buildings she saw what looking like slowly rotating security cameras, as well as louder speakers.  _Is someone watching us?_ she thought. In the distance beyond the immediate buildings she could see more dirt paths, some green fields, and then a forest.  _Cabins, outside bathroom and shower buildings, forests..._ Shiori gasped with realization. "It's like a summer camp!"

"See, I told you! She thinks so too!"

Shiori jumped at the new voice and suddenly realized she was not alone. A pair of boys her own age stood next to the bathroom on the other side of the path. The shorter boy was gesturing towards her. The taller boy scoffed.

"And I told you that we cannot say for sure this is a summer camp until we see the rest of the area. If this the only housing there is not enough space for a real camp. Four cabins does not a camp make," the taller boy said dismissively.

Shiori rushed over to the two boys, saying, "Oh gosh I didn't see you! I thought Kokoa and I might be only one's here!"

"Nope, it looks like there are a good number of us here, all teens from what I've seen," said the shorter boy.

"I'd wager there are sixteen of us, considering the number of profiles in the strange tablets. Also, logically there are four cabins, each with two bunk beds," the taller boy added.

The shorter boy scowled, "Everyone's been running around exploring so we can't get a real count."

"Well, maybe we can try to gather everyone," Shiori said, "Or at least set a place for us all to meet. Oh, I'm Shiori Miura. Nice to meet you both!"

"My name is Haruto Hanko, the Penultimate Puzzle Master," said the taller boy, "Although, once I solve the mystery of our current situation, I'll surely be called an 'Ultimate.' Naturally, my skills are already at that level, I just need to prove it to our captor, and the public will surely follow once we escape."

* * *

Haruto Hanko: Penultimate Puzzle Master

* * *

Although he was taller than the other boy, Haruto was actually not too much taller than Shiori, with spiky red hair and pale skin. He wore a brown jacket and brown baggy pants; overall he was somewhat average looking, but held himself with a great deal of confidence. In fact, his smile looked a bit smug.

Shiori hesitated a bit at Haurto's grand introduction, but then said, "That sounds really cool Haurto. I'm just the Penultimate Writer, but it sounds like your talent could be really helpful for figuring out this situation."

The shorter boy looked incredulous. "Not sure how solving crosswords and riddles will help us when we've been kidnapped, but sure, go ahead and keep bragging."

"My skills as a puzzle master are widely applicable, you're just too narrow minded to see it," Haruto said, leaning a bit into the shorter boy's face before turning away, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find out more information about this place so that we can escape. But you two have fun!" With that, Haruto gave a condescending wave and walked away.

Shiori grimaced. "Well he was...something."  _And by 'something' I mean 'extremely rude' but I don't wanna say that._

"Yeah, he's an asshole," said the shorter boy.

"I...wouldn't have phrased it that way…" Shiori mumbled, "But anyway, what about you? What's your name? Do you have a 'Penultimate' talent too?"

"Gorou Ishikawa, and I guess I'm the Penultimate Snow Sculptor."

* * *

Gorou Ishikawa: Penultimate Snow Sculptor

* * *

Gorou was about the same height as Shiori, which made him very short for a boy. He had messy silvery blue hair peeking out from under a black, white, blue and cyan striped knit cap with a pom pom on the end. The dark bags under his eyes stood out against his pale skin. He wore a dark blue sweater with blue fur trim around the collar, black pants, black knee boots, and gray boot cuffs.

"A snow sculptor? That sounds pretty cool if you know what I mean," Shiori giggled.

"Oh wow, a pun about the cold I've never heard before. Truly you are a literary genius," Gorou said as he rolled his eyes.

Shiori ducked her head sheepishly. "I guess it wasn't the best pun. But it does seem like a really interesting thing to be talented in."

"Talent ain't all it's cracked up to be," Gorou said softly, "Like in our situation; whoever caught us is making a big deal about our talents. It might even be why they took us."

"Huh, I hadn't thought of that…" Shiori trailed off before straightening up, "Well, I said I was gonna see if I could find everyone else, so I'm gonna go do that! Maybe we can meet up back here later, okay Gorou?"

Gorou paused for a second before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Do whatever you want. I saw people going both directions so just follow the paths and you'll find somebody."

Flashing a perhaps overly bright smile, Shiori cheered, "Okay! To find more people!" Then she turned to the left and began walking.

Once she was far enough away from Gorou that he wouldn't hear her, Shiori gave a small groan. "Ah, I keep annoying people. He didn't seem as mad at me as Kokoa did, but maybe I need to dial down the energy…" She continued down the path and saw that it split. One side led into the woods, the other side turned left to lead between a large pond with a strange wooden tower standing next to it, and what looked like soccer field. Right at the fork in the road stood a wooden pole with a louder speaker and rotating security camera at the top.  _More surveillance?_ she thought,  _I can't even tell if they're on..._ To the side of the field stood a small three sided shed with sports equipment inside, and next to the shed stood a girl.

 _Okay Shiori, time to make an actual proper introduction,_ she thought in determination as she strode up the the girl. "Hey, my name's Shiori Miura, the Penultimate Writer. It's nice to meet you, despite the uh, weird circumstances."

The girl cleared her throat and adjusted her black framed glasses. "I'm Karen Oshiro. I am likewise pleased to make your acquittal."

Shiori blinked before saying, "Um...do you mean 'acquaintance'? Oh! And do you have a Penultimate talent?"

Karen blushed deeply and looked away. "Right, quite right. Yes I do, but it is rather unseeming. The strange profile calls me the Penultimate Jujutsuka, but I do not practice that vulgar trade anymore."

* * *

Karen Oshiro: Penultimate Jujutsuka

* * *

Shiori had to admit that Karen did not particularly look like a martial artist. Sure, nothing physically made that impossible. Karen was just a few inches taller than Shiori, with brown hair tied up in a bun and hazel eyes. Although she looked rather fit and curvy, her face had a softness to it, and her clothes gave off a more academic feel. She wore a yellow turtleneck sweater with a black swirl design on the front, a short black skirt, and plain black flats.

"Well that's kinda strange. Everyone else I've talked to seemed to at least be alright with their 'talent.' I wonder why yous is something you don't like…" Shiori pondered.

"...could we please not talk about it?" Karen said sharply, "I'd much rather discuss your talent. Writing is such a...solipsistic art. Perhaps we could talk about...Shakespeare. My favorite play is—"

Suddenly a pink blur barreled into Karen from the soccer field. "Karen Karen Karen! There's so much grass here! I haven't seen so much grass in forever!" The figure fell dramatically onto the ground, arms spread to the sides to take in the feel of the grass. Now Shiori could see that the figure was another girl.

"Hey there! Need a hand?" said Shiori, leaning over and holding a hand out to the girl, who quickly took it and bounced to her feet.

"Golly, another person! And she's a cute girl too!" the girl said innocently.

Shiori quickly took her hand away and began babbling. "Ah, wow okay. Never had another girl call me cute. That's uh...fine! Just fine, not awkward at all. Anyway, I'm Shiori Miura, the Penultimate Writer! What about you?"

"I'm Rika Ohara, the Penultimate Gladiator!" Rika exclaimed, striking a confident pose. "The Pink Punisher, Atomic Rika!"

* * *

Rika Ohara: Penultimate Gladiator

* * *

"Um...really?" Shiori said and stared at Rika in disbelief.  _There's no way that's true! Gladiators aren't even a thing anymore!_

Rika did have a somewhat strange appearance though. She was the same height as Shiori, but had a much more fit build with wiry muscles. Her hair was pale pink and tied up into short pigtails with light green bows. Her outfit consisted of a pair of shorts and a jacket in matching dark pink denim, a white tee shirt trimmed with pink, a black belt with a green atomic sign for the buckle, and black boots with pink laces. Additionally, Rika had a tattoo of the same atomic symbol on the back of her right hand.

"Really really!" said Rika, nodding eagerly, "I have the longest undefeated streak in the arena! And the Atomic Rika fan club has members from all over the world!"

Karen coughed softly and whispered to Shiori, "I did see her doing some training exercises earlier. She is certainly a skilled fighter."

"Huh," Shiori said, then turned back to Rika, "How did you start being a uh, modern gladiator?"

"I've always been one, ever since I was little!" Rika said without a hint of hesitation.

Shiori furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Isn't that kind of dangerous? At least the old gladiatorial games were. Were your parents okay with that?"

Rika blinked. "I don't have parents," she said blankly.

Shiori blanched and stammered, "Oh gosh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"That's okay!" Rika replied, "My managers take really good care of me. But Shiori!" Rika suddenly grasped Shiori's hands. "Being a writer sounds so cool! What do you write about?"

"I am...also curious," Karen added, "Surely your work must be...deeply profound and...verdant."

"Uh…" Shiori stalled, "I write a lot of um...romance stories."

"Romance?!" Rika said with a squeal of delight, "Like Cinderella?!"

"No no," Karen interrupted, "Surely she writes complex love affairs filled with...prurience and—"

"And hot steamy smut!" shouted a new voice from across the road behind them.

Shiori whipped around and blurted out, "That was one time! And it barely counts; there was a fade to black before it got not safe for work because I didn't wanna have to rate it explicit—"

"Sure you did," mocked the holder of the voice, a tall girl standing across the path next to a large pond. "Seriously though, no judgement from me. You do you girl."

It took a moment for Shiori to compose herself before she turned back to Rika and Karen. "Do you think we could meet back at the cabins later? We should try to gather everyone so we can figure out what's going on."

"Can do!" cheered Rika before she grabbed Karen by the arm. "Let's go look around more! And then we can spar later!"

"I told you before I don't want to spar!" cried Karen as Rika dragged her away.

Shiori then walked over to the pond to greet this new girl. "Sorry about that. I'm trying to set up a meeting at the cabins later so we can all work together to get out of this place."

The girl gave a short, confident laugh. "No need for that. I can take care of myself; don't need any of you lot telling me what to do." The expression on her face was darkly intimidating.

Shiori backbeddled. "I'm not saying you have to come or anything! I just thought, you know, 'two heads are better than one' and all that…" She shook her head and straightened up a bit.  _Meet confidence with confidence Shiori! s_ he told herself. "I'm not sure how much of the conversation from before you heard, but I'm Shiori Miura, Penultimate Writer!"

"And I'm Akiko Katsumi, the Penultimate Drummer. Although honestly, I'm not a prodigy like the dumb 'Ultimates' in those old movies. I worked hard for the talent I have, and I can proudly say it ten times better than any natural ability."

* * *

Akiko Katsumi: Penultimate Drummer

* * *

"I can definitely appreciate hard work!" said Shiori.

"Good on you Bubbly; whoever the bozo it was who took us has a lot of nerve saying I'm 'too untrained' to be a real Ultimate!" Akiko punched a fist into the air. "When I find them I'm gonna give a good one-two punch, ya hear?"

With her fist in the air, Akiko gave off a truly hot-blooded attitude. She was almost a foot taller than Shiori, with purple hair that faded into dark red in an ombre style tied up in a messy ponytail. She had on a sharp pair of black glasses over her bright green eyes. Her letterman jacket was black and white, and under that she wore a maroon tee shirt with a gray alien head on the front. Around her neck was a maroon bow tie choker, and on the bottom she had on gray pants.

Shiori lifted her own fists. "Yeah! ...Wait, 'Bubbly'?"

"That's your nickname, 'cause you're so upbeat and shit." Akiko looked at her like it was obvious.

"Uh...okay then. So do you think you'll meet us later or…?"

"Nah," said Akiko, "I'm gonna check out that tower. Looks important, right?"

Shiori glanced up at the tower. "Well, yeah, sure."

Akiko grinned with glinting teeth. "I'm gonna see if I can climb it. From up there I can see everything, and no one'll be able to get at me without a fight."

Shiori almost backed away from the intense expression, but then Akiko laughed again. "Don't look so scared, Bubbly! I ain't gonna do anything stupid like hurt anybody or something. We're still in this together; it's just best for everybody if i do my own thing. Later!" And with that Akiko dashed off towards the tower.

 _That could have gone worse, I think?_ Shiori thought as she continued down the path past the pond.  _She doesn't dislike me, she just...only does what she wants to…_ As she continued walking she saw that the path ahead was blocked by some sort of complex metal gate. Another speaker and camera pole stood nearby. _Geez, is there anywhere these camera can't see us?_  Barbed wire fences extended from each side of the gate, completely blocking off the area ahead. As she approached she saw signs on the fences that read 'Danger! Electrified Fence' in bold letters.

Careful not to get too close, Shiori looked through the fence to see that the path actually continued deeper into the woods. "Huh," she wondered. "Is this where we were brought in?" She walked back over to the gate and saw that another person, a boy, had appeared; he was examining the gate.

"Hello!" Shiori said in greeting, waving.

The boy jumped a bit, then relaxed when he saw her. "Oh hi. You scared me a little there."

"Sorry about that," Shiori apologized, "Do you know how to open this gate thing?"

The boy shook his head. "No clue. I just got back here after following the fence for awhile looking for gaps. No such luck."

Shiori pouted. "Darn it. Maybe there's be one on the other side?"

"I'm not sure that's super likely. The fence and this gate thing look really new. See how shiny the metal is?"

"Oh yeah, you're right," she said, looking closer that the metal of the gate, "Now that you mentioned it, the cabins seemed pretty new too."

He nodded. "I know, right? The wood hasn't faded to that weird gray color. Whatever this place is, someone built it recently."

 _What could that mean?_ Shiori wondered.

"Whoops, I haven't introduced myself," the boy said, "I'm Seihiko Ginnaga. I'm a professional yo-yo player."

Shiori's eyes widened. "Woah, that's so cool! I didn't even know that was a thing! Is that you're Penultimate talent?"

"Yep," said Seihiko, "Guess it's because I'm kinda perpetually in second place."

* * *

Seihiko Ginnaga: Penultimate Yo-yo Pro

* * *

Seihiko had a very bright, friendly appearance. He stood about half a foot taller than Shiori. His hair was styled in an undercut, the short hair brown and the longer hair dyed orange and swept to the right side. He had golden eyes, a largish nose, large round glasses, and dangling downward-pointing triangle earrings, softening his otherwise serious features. His outfit included an open yellow-orange shirt with rolled up sleeves over a black long sleeved shirt; the shirt had a silver ring surrounded by a red curve that ended in small silver circle. His pants were black, at his waist he wore a white belt with a red star buckle, and clipped to the belt was a orange and black yo-yo. For shoes he had white and silver sneakers with orange ties.

"My name's Shiori Miura, and I'm the Penultimate Writer," said Shiori, "I'm sorry about the whole second place thing. I'm sure you can get first eventually!"

"It's not too big a deal!" Seihiko countered. Strangely, Shiori thought she heard some strain in his voice, but it quickly dissipated. "I'm perfectly fine with where I am right now. I still have a pretty good fan following online though. I guess people like seeing pics of my trick training progress."

"Wait, I've maybe seen some of those! Gosh, some of my friends love your stuff! I had no idea that was you."

Seihiko laughed a bit. "I usually keep my face out of those photos, so it makes sense."

"So Seihiko," Shiori said, moving to a new topic, "I've been asking people to meet up later back at the cabins so we can all figure out what's going on. Will you come?"

"Of course," Seihiko replied quickly, "If we all put our heads together, I'm sure we can figure something out."

Shiori grinned.  _Finally someone cooperative and helpful!_ "Well, I'm gonna go back and check some of the other paths for more people!"

Seihiko nodded. "I'll double check the other side of the fence to make sure there aren't any gaps or other gates. See you later!" With a quick wave to each other, they both went on their way.

Shiori jogged back past the pond and the tower, smiling at her success befriending Seihiko.  _He's such a nice guy, and so humble too!_ She frowned slightly at that thought.  _Why do I feel like there's more to it than that?_ She shook her head and kept moving. She needed to find more people.

As she walked, she realized that there were even more speaker and camera poles in the distance.  _I_ really  _hope whoever kidnaped us isn't watching,_ she thought. Eventually she got back to the fork in the path, but just as she was about to head down in she saw a strange, furry lump on the ground up head.  _Is that a dead animal?_ she wondered as she slowly approached. But as she got closer, she saw it was too big to be a dog or racoon.  _I assumed we were still in Japan because everyone speaks Japanese, but we could be in Canada for all I know!_ Then she saw the brown boots poking out from under the fur; it was a person hiding under some kind of fur coat.  _Oh thank goodness,_  she thought, sighing in relief.

"Are you okay?" Shiori asked once she was a few feet from the person.

Quickly the person, a tall skinny girl, jumped up. Now Shiori could see that it wasn't just a regular fur coat; it was a bear's skin! The head acted as the hood, and the arms as sleeves.

"I'm sorry!" The girl cried, "I was...a bit overwhelmed."

"That's okay," Shiori said, "This is a stressful situation."

The girl fidgeted with her sleeve, but said nothing else.

After a moment of silence, Shiori said, "I'm Shiori Miura. What's your name?"

The girl hesitated before answering. "...Kashie Hatsume."

"It's nice to meet you Kashie."  _I better be careful with her; she seems really shy and scared,_ Shiori told herself as she continued. "Do you have one of these weird 'Penultimate' titles? Mine's Penultimate Writer."

"...Public Speaker!" She stammered out, suddenly shouting by accident, "Pleased to meet you!"

* * *

Kashie Hatsume: Penultimate Public Speaker

* * *

"Oh," Shiori said.  _I would not have expected that. She's so timid._

As Shiori noticed before, Kashie was very tall, a foot taller than herself, with pale skin. Peeking out from under the bear's head hood was soft brown hair and purple eyes. Besides the bear skin, she wore a white turtle neck, a long washed out denim skirt, and short brown boots.

"I...I'm sorry! I'm not...super confident yet…" Kashie said, still stammering slightly.

"No no no; It's fine!" Shiori said, raising her hands in a comforting gesture. "I know you can get there! I think all of us are still working on our talents."

Kashie looked at Shiori, a few tears still in her eyes. "You...really think so?"

"Yeah!" Shiori declared, "In fact, I just realized something! 'Penultimate' may mean 'next to last,' but that still means we're really close to being 'Ultimate'! We can get there with the right attitude!"

"...Okay," said Kashie, smiling weakly, "I...I will keep...keep on trying."

Shiori gave Kashie a quick pat on the arm. "That's what I like to hear! Hey Kashie, did you check out what's down this path?"

Kashie nodded, frowning. "I did but...right as it...it got to a clearing there was a fence and a...weird gate."

"Oh, I ran into one of those earlier. Darn it!" Shiori stomped her foot. "Why are there paths to places we can't even get to? And if whoever took us didn't want us going there why make a gate instead of a real wall? It doesn't make sense!"

Kashie let out a small 'eep' noise. "I'm sorry I don't know! Do you...want me to check it again? I can do that! Please don't be mad!"

"Wait, Kashie—" But the tall girl had already run back down the path into the woods. "Ah geez. I didn't get to tell her to meet us, and I made her scared again."

Slightly disheartened, Shiori walked back down the path towards the cabins. As she passed them she didn't see anyone new, although she thought she heard Rika's loud voice in the distance. Just beyond the cabin she had initially emerged from the path split in a t-shape. Just beyond the path she saw a muddy area fenced in by a wooden slate fence. Inside were several barrels and hay bales.  _Is that a corral? I've never seen one in real life._ Next to the corral was a large wooden American style barn. She walked up the barn's large doors, but found they were shut with a large sturdy lock. She groaned, "Why is everything in this friggin' place locked!?"

"Shhh," suddenly came a voice from just beyond the barn, "You'll scare the bird away."

"What?" Shiori asked as she walked over to the voice to find a boy crouching on the ground, a camera pointed at a bird. He sat so still he barely seemed alive, staring intently through the camera lens at his target.

She waited for a second for the boy to speak again, then said, "Uh, hi?"

The boy continued watching the bird through the camera. Suddenly the bird let out an angry tweet and flew right past the boys head. At that the boy slowly lowered his camera, but continued to stay silent.

Shiori cleared her throat and tried again. "Sorry about the bird."

The boy turned to her and blinked. "Normally animals like me," he said blankly. Now that he was facing her she could see that the boy looked American, despite his very good Japanese.

"Really? That's nice." There was another long silence.  _Wow this boy is even more awkward than Kashie!_ "Well uh, my name's Shiori Miura, Penultimate Writer. And you?"

He blinked again as he finally stood up. "Remy Lander. Penultimate Animal Photographer."

* * *

Remy Lander: Penultimate Animal Photographer

* * *

Remy had some features that Shiori thought of stereotypically American, but overall he seemed too awkward to fit the 'loud, bombastic' stereotype. He was tall, with golden blond hair and slightly tanned skin. He had a biggish nose and double lidded blue eyes. He wore a green long sleeved shirt under a khaki vest with many pockets, brown pants with even more pockets, hiking boots, and a black camera bag at his side. His camera hung around his neck.

Shiori cleared her throat. "Animal photography? That sounds really interesting! What kind of animals have you photographed?"

"...all kinds of animals." Remy said slowly, "Once, I got a really good action shot of an elephant after it started stampeding towards me."

"Stampeding?!" she yelped. "Were you okay?"

Remy shrugged. "I didn't get hurt or anything."

"Oh thank goodness. I guess you were more careful next time?"

"I haven't been to Africa again." He frowned. "The client said...I caused too much trouble with the animals. Which is weird, cause animals like me."

 _I'm getting the feeling that isn't really true!_ Shiori thought. "Anyway, some of us are gathering back at the cabins later. Will you come?"

Remy nodded, then started walking away towards the corral.

"Okay then…" Shiori trailed off as he left. "Time to move forward!"

Continuing down the path past the barn, she soon came to a large open area surrounded by about five buildings. In the middle of the cleared area stood a flag pole. A flag black with a strange red zigzag design on it flew at the top. The biggest building was right across from the path she had come up, with the words 'Mess Hall' above the double doors. Sort of connected to the mess hall was another smaller wing to the building, but she couldn't see a sign indicating its purpose from her current angle. What she could see was that, yet again, most of the buildings had speakers and cameras on the roofs. She walked cautiously into the open area between the two small builds right next to where the path met the courtyard and turned around to look at their fronts. The building to her right was labeled "Health Clinic," and examining the door of the building was a girl wearing a white cast on her left arm.

"Do you need something for your arm?" Shiori asked as she walked to the girl.

The girl turned around before giving a dismissive hand wave. "Nah, I'm good, just wanted to take a look around just in case, but no such luck. Check out this weird sign though." She pointed to a sign on the door. It read 'Closed until Orientation Ceremony is complete.'

"What could that mean?" Shiori wondered.

"No idea; all the buildings have this sign," replied the other girl. "But wait! I haven't introduced myself! I'm Homura Ideki, Penultimate Sharpshooter! I hope we can be good friends!"

* * *

Homura Ideki: Penultimate Sharpshooter

* * *

Homura struck a confident pose, hands on her hips. She was taller than Shiori, with long blonde hair with the tips dyed bright teal, and eyes in a similar shade. She also wore round thin framed glasses and a pair of white and pink headphones around her neck. Her outfit was a black tee-shirt with a bright pink heart on it, simple white shorts, and pink knee socks. Strangely, she wasn't wearing any shoes.

"And I'm Shiori Miura, Penultimate Writer; I hope so too! Can I ask what happened to your arm?"

"Ah, it's nothing," Homura said, "Just a little accident. Honestly it'd be healed already normally, but I just can't keep from pushing myself, ya know?"

"I can kinda of understand that."  _So many nights staying up too late finishing a new chapter…_ "Why do you think whoever took us set all this up?"

"Probably just what they could find. I mean, who'd look for missing teenagers at an abandoned American style summer camp? It musta been shut down for not being too popular and our perp snuck us in here."

Shiori looked puzzled. "You think this place was abandoned?"  _But everything's so new looking…_

"No doubt about it! I got this feeling in my gut, ya know?"

 _I don't know if gut feelings are enough in this situation,_ Shiori thought. "Um...we can talk about what's going later. We were gonna meet back at the cabins."

Homura gave a thumbs up. "Sure thing! You keep meeting people, and I'll tell anyone I see too!"

"Oh thanks!" said Shiori before she left Homura as she continued examining the Health Clinic. She turned her attention to the building to the left of the path, this one labeled 'Nature Center.' This time she found a boy peering intently through the window. He looked so focused she didn't want to disturb him. Careful so she didn't startle him, Shiori walked up to the other window and peeked through as well. Inside she could a few large tables, some shelves filled with taxidermied animals, posters of various plants and animals, and various gardening and hiking equipment leaning against the far wall. "Huh, well the sign did say nature center."

"That spade needs to be sharpened…" murmured the boy suddenly.

Shiori jumped a little, then recovered and turned to the boy. "Really? You can tell from here?"

The boy glanced over to her, looking a bit perplexed, or perhaps annoyed. "I'm a gardner. Of course I can tell."

"Oh, neat! Is that your Penultimate talent?" Shiori asked, hoping to get a real conversation going. "Mine's writing. And my name is Shiori Miura, by the way."

"...Kenji Ikeda, and yeah, it is."

* * *

Kenji Ikeda: Penultimate Gardener

* * *

Kenji definitely had the gardener look about him. He was rather tall, with bushy brown hair that partially covered his light brown eyes and thick eyebrows. He also had a somewhat large nose and medium brown skin. He wore faded blue overalls embroidered with leaves and flowers, a brown belt, gardening boots, and gardening gloves. He looked ready to dig around in the dirt.

"So Kenji, I was wondering if—"

"No," Kenji interrupted flatly, turning back to the window.

Shiori started. "What? I didn't finish asking—"

"Doesn't matter. I don't wanna talk, so go away." Strangely, his voice seemed to waver a bit at the end.

Stunned for a moment, she relented. "Okay fine. See you later Kenji."  _What was his problem? I didn't even do anything!_ Shiori thought as she continued to the next building.  _Even if he's nervous he doesn't have to be rude._

The next building had 'Art Center' over the door. A girl was rattling the door handle, mumbling, "Oh no, no! I don't want to wait for some silly ceremony."

Shiori giggled lightly. "What's in there that's got you so excited?"

The girl turned around. "I saw the most amazing set of paints through the window! So many canvases, and so much other interesting material as well. This place is so beautiful I want to start capturing its beauty right away."

"I take it you're some sort of artist then?" Shiori asked.

"Yes yes! I'm Hideyo Mitsugi, the Penultimate Painter! I hope we can have some fun together while we wait for someone to find us!"

* * *

Hideyo Mitsugi: Penultimate Painter

* * *

_Of course she's a painter,_ Shiori realized as she glanced over Hideyo,  _Not only does she have that eccentric look, everything she's wearing has paint on it!_ Hideyo was a somewhat tall girl, about a half foot taller than Shiori, with pale skin and wavy navy blue shoulder length hair with the right side shaved short. Her hair had two highlights, one green and one yellow. She had blue eyes and a skinny nose. For clothes she wore a dark blue silk robe that reached her feet. The robe had a pattern of white flowers on it, but the pattern was somewhat disrupted by the various paint splatters on it.

"Shiori Miura, Penultimate Writer; I certainly hope we can find a way of out this soon," said Shiori. "I'd hate to have to deal with all these locks for too much longer."

"Did someone say locks?" came a new voice from beyond the art center.

Shiori and Hideyo turned to see a new comer, a tall boy in a stetson hat, stoll over to the locked door, pull out some strange metal tools, and begin fiddling with the lock.

"What are you doing?" gasped Hideyo.

"Trying to pick the lock, but man what is this thing? I've picked a lot of locks but this one isn't like any of them," the boy said.

Shiori frowned. "Um, why do you know how to pick locks?"

The boy stood up and gave a charming yet wolfish grin. "Because I'm the Penultimate Bandit. Take Muto, at your service."

* * *

Take Muto: Penultimate Bandit

* * *

Now that she looked closer, Shiori saw that Take did have a roguish appearance. He was rather tall and broad shouldered, with long wavy light green hair, amber eyes, and fair skin. His face had a strong square jawline and chin, pointy nose, and thin lips. He wore a long white shirt stained with dirt under a knee length brown jacket with many pockets and dark green lining. On the bottom he had baggy brown pants held up by a calico belt and muddy gray boots. In addition he wore a green neckerchief and the brown stetson with a black and white feather stuck in the band.

"That's really not necessary!" said Hideyo. She trembled, backing away slowly.

"What? And after I generously offered my services. You'd rather I just bash the door in?" Take asked lightly, like it would be easy. "I don't usually do property damage but I could manage it."

"She means we don't know how whoever took us will react to you breaking in!" Shiori said sharply. "We're still in unknown territory, so we need to be careful."

Take turned to her and gave a short, harsh laugh. "Trust me, nothing's gonna stop me from getting at something I want, no matter what the psycho who took us thinks. It's all just a matter of not getting caught. Still, I don't need any art stuff, so I'll stop for now. Bye ladies!" With that, Take walked away back behind the art building.

Hideyo cautiously came back over to Shiori. "Is it going to be safe with a criminal around?"

"I honestly don't know," Shiori replied, "If he wanted to hurt us he probably could have already, but I'd definitely keep an eye on your stuff."

Hideyo nodded, then seemed to compose herself before saying, "You seem like you could be a good leader, Shiori. You really stood your ground with him and thought about how to be safe in this situation!"

"Really? Oh gosh…" Shiori blushed a bit. "I'm just trying to stay positive and practical."  _Even though all of my writer's instincts are telling me this is going to get really bad or really weird, or both,_ she thought."Anyway, did you hear me talking to Homura about meeting at the cabins later?"

"No, but that sounds like a great idea. Yes yes! We can work together, like the great artistic collaborators of the past!"

"Are you so sure about that?" said a new person.

Shiori turned and saw the voice belonged to a tall boy standing by the flagpole. "Of course collaboration would be better!" she said as she walked over, "What single person could get out of here alone?"

The boy shook his head. "Perhaps, but how can we be sure we're all really on the same side? Someone might be working with our captor, or simple have plans that do not align with the interests of the group."

Shiori was taken aback.  _I hadn't thought of that..._ After a moment she continued. "That might be true, but what's the alternative? Everyone wandering around alone?"

"I'm just advocating caution," said the boy, "Especially if you are planning to lead us, Shiori Miura."

"You overheard us?" Shiori asked.

"It's not like you and Hideyo over there were talking particularly quietly."

"Ah," she said flatly. "Well, do I get to know your name and talent, Mr. Caution?"

"Takeo Ikeda; Interrogator. Call me Ikeda, please."

* * *

Takeo Ikeda: Penultimate Interrogator

* * *

Takeo, or rather Ikeda, did have an intimidating air about him. He stood almost a foot taller than Shiori, with a lean build, olive skin, brown hair with dark red highlights, and dark almond shaped eyes that pierced through everything. A thin scar ran down the right side of his face, adding to the intimidating aura. He dressed all in black: a dress shirt with rolled up sleeves, pants, combat boots, and knee guards. His shirt had a skull and crossbones patch on the breast pocket, and the same design adorned his black beanie hat.

"Ikeda? Are you related to Kenji?" Shiori looked back at the gardener, still at the nature center window. "More importantly, interrogator? How did you get to be an interrogator?"

"It's a common enough last name, isn't it?" Ikeda said, ignoring her questions on his talent.

"I suppose," Shiori conceded, "And I suppose it would have been hard to keep you straight with Take if you went by your given name, but why? It sounds so formal."

"It's what I'm used to." Ikeda simply walked away towards the mess hall door. "Don't worry; I won't cause trouble or anything. I'll even come to your little meeting. Just think about what I said."

Shiori stood in shock as he left.  _What was that? He was so intense, and how did he end as an interrogator, seriously?_ As she walked over to the small building connected to the mess hall, worry began to fill her mind.  _What if he's right? I didn't even think it would be possible for one of us to be working against the group, but it is possible, right? Teens end up working with bad people all the time in stories, and no one would expect someone their own age to betray them in this scenario, and God, people kidnapped and taken to strange places never end up just being rescued, and—_

Suddenly a gentle hand rested on her shoulder. "Are you okay? You look upset."

Shiori looked over and saw a boy with a kind face looking at her with concern. Immediately a blush crept across her face.  _Oh my gosh he's so cute!_ Her thoughts continued swirling for a few seconds, but eventually she replied, "Oh yeah, I...just got caught up in worrying. This is a really scary situation, and I guess I panicked…"

"Depending on who else is here, we might have some help with that," the boy said. "Look, the sign says there's a guidance counselor." He gestured at the sign above the door, and sure enough it read 'Guidance Counselor.'

"Huh," she said. "I guess so; I just hadn't seen any adults here yet."

"I suppose that's true, but we'll just have to wait and see," said the boy, "And even if there aren't any adults here, I'm sure we'll be rescued quickly."

Her blush deepened.  _Oh no he's cute_ and _nice! Keep it together Shiori!_ She smiled shakily. "That's true; depending on how long we've been gone, I'm sure we've been reported missing. So ah...thanks for the, the reassurance. It was very...cool of you. I'm Shiori Miura. My um...Penultimate talent is uh, Writer!"

"Isao Iwaka; I'm the Penultimate Danseur. That's the formal French term for a male ballet dancer, since most people don't know."

* * *

Isao Iwaka: Penultimate Danseur

* * *

Shiori looked over Isao as she continued blushing. Isao was a little over half a foot taller than her, but he held himself with such great posture he seemed taller without dominating the space. He had slightly tousled black hair, warm golden eyes, and clear brownish-gold skin. He wore thick black framed glasses that added to his kind charm. His outfit was casual, just a nicely fitted gray tee shirt with the slogan 'Warning: may start talking about ballet' on the front, with 'warning' surrounded by a yellow box, and black pants. For shoes he wore simple light gray canvas shoes.

"It was cool of you to set up a meeting for everyone." Isao continued as he gestured over to Homura, who was examining the last building in the circle with 'Recreation'on the sign. "Homura told me, and I think it's a great plan."

Shiori could not hold herself together anymore and was left opening and closing her mouth dumbly.

Thankfully Isao just laughed a bit. "Not used to compliments I guess? Sorry if I made you embarrassed."

"No!" said Shiori quickly, "You're fine! Just...still a bit overwhelmed I guess. I should be complimenting you! Ballet is so hard to be good at! You must have trained for years!"

"I mean I did spend a lot of time learning," Isao said, "But there are all sort of talented dancers all over the world; I'm just one of many, really."

Shiori shook her head emphatically. "But to be part of that elite group is definitely something to be proud of! Don't sell yourself short."

Strangely, Isao looked a bit lost for words at her declaration, but before he could reply, loud static began blaring out of the various roof speakers.

"Ah, ah, mic check! One two, one two!" emerged an oddly high, chipper voice from the static, "Mic check! This is the test of the camp intercom system!"

"What in the world?" Shiori said, backing away from the building into the open area, "Is that…?"

"It might be whoever took us," whispered Isao as he followed her.

The voice on the intercom continued. "Now then, everyone please gather at the camp Mess Hall! Don't be late! The Orientation Ceremony is about to begin! Upupupu!" With a click, the intercom shut off, and all that remained was a heavy, tense, silence.

Shiori bit her lip, then walked confidently to the mess hall doors.  _It's time to face the uncertain future!_ With that thought, she opened the double doors and walked inside, unaware of what horrors would soon begin...


	3. Prologue (part 2)

Reijirou paced anxiously behind the curtains of the small stage inside the mess hall's dining room. Monokuma was already up above the stage ready to jump down and greet the students, but Reijirou had to wait until his 'boss' introduced him to come out on the stage. "It'll add to the drama!" Monokuma had said, "And remember; I'm your boss. You do what I say, you keep any negative opinions about your situation to yourself, or you get the ax! Literally!"

_And I am not gonna risk dying. No thank you,_ Reijirou now thought bitterly,  _At least I have a TV monitor so I can see what's going on out there._ He glanced to the monitor. The last few students had finally filed in. Thankfully he was fast with names and faces, so he recognized each of them from when he studied their profiles. Shiori Miura, Hideyo Mitsugi, and Isao Iwaka were at the front, while Kashie Hatsume and Kenji Ikeda hung back. The rest mingled around in groups, murmuring nervously about their situation.

Reijirou jumped when he heard the 'thunk' of Monokuma dropping down in front of the students. He watched as the students gazed at the stage in shock. Although one student looked strangely happy…

"A teddy bear!" Rika Ohara cried in delight, immediately rushing towards the stage. Thankfully Karen Oshiro grabbed her arm and held Rika back.

"I am not a teddy bear!" said Monokuma. Because of the angle of the camera for the monitor, Reijirou couldn't see the bear, but from the tone of his voice he was annoyed. "I am Monokuma, the director of this fine camp! Welcome to the Talent Camp for Penultimate Students!"

Rika quickly raised her hand. "Can I hug you Mr. Monokuma?"

"No!" said Monokuma and Karen in unison.

Gorou Ishikawa walked up the stage and said, "Now hold on. Are you seriously claiming to a real talking bear? That makes no sense!" He turned back to the rest of the students. "It's obviously a robot or animatronic or something. Someone else is controlling it." Reijirou nodded slightly.  _My thoughts exactly. If we could just find them…_

"Well, aren't you a smarty pants!" laughed Monokuma, "But frankly it doesn't matter to you bastards! What matters is that I'm in charge!"

"Like hell your in charge! I ain't listening to you, ya freak!" yelled Akiko Katsumi from one corner, "You kidnapped us! And I'm gonna get you to let us go if I have to beat it out of you!" With that she ran towards the stage.

"Ah ah ah!" Monokuma chided. Suddenly a red dot appeared on Akiko's chest and she froze, looking up at the stage. "Violence against me or my co-worker is against the rules. And the punishment for breaking that particular rule is death! You didn't think I wouldn't have a way to protect myself, right?"

_So he must have a gun installed inside him somewhere,_ Reijirou realized,  _We can't touch him. Damn it!_

Remy Lander calmly lead Akiko away, but she continued glaring at Monokuma, fists shaking at her sides. Kokoa Uzumaki numbly handed her a chocolate.

"Wait a second!" said Shiori, "You mentioned a co-worker? There's someone else who's working with you?" More chatter rippled through the room and Reijirou straightened up.

Monokuma chuckled. "That's right! I was going to wait until I had explained the purpose of this camp to introduce him, but I suppose there's no use waiting. Please give a warm welcome to your Guidance Counselor, Mr. Reijirou Saiki!"

_That's my cue,_ Reijirou thought as he stepped through the center of the curtains. Monokuma stood just to his left in a dramatic presentational pose, and the students stood out on the floor, once again stunned.

"Mr. Saiki here will be helping you with any issues you may have! He can mediate disputes, help with feelings and junk, and most importantly!" Monokuma turned back to the students, his red eye glinting, "If you misbehave too much, I will send you to him for punishment!"

Before Monokuma or anyone else could speak, Reijirou stepped forward.  _If I don't get a word in now there's no way any of them will trust me!_ "Hello students!" he said, keeping his voice calm but enthusiastic, "It's very nice to meet you all. I want you to know that your the safety and wellbeing is my top priority. I know this situation is...strange, but I hope you can come to me if you need help." He saw a few students relax a bit, but others still looked suspicious.  _It's a start I guess,_ He thought as he stepped back. At this point, he didn't have anything else he wanted to say while Monokuma was still around.

"Are you going to get the the point or what?!" called Akiko, still agitated.

"Yeah!" added Homura Ideki, "Why did you bring us all here?!"

"I was getting to that!" said Monokuma, "Geez, you teens never know how to be patient."

"Get on with it then," muttered Takeo Ikeda from where he leaned against the wall.

Monokuma huffed slightly. "Alright, you bastards! You all are here to hone your talents! All of you were chosen because you have talents, but have not reached your full potential! For one reason or another, you've all fallen short!" Some of the students grumbled angrily at that, but a few nodded sheepishly. "At this camp, you will be put to the test. You will face a challenge the likes of which you've never seen! If you can make it out of this camp, you can truly call yourself an Ultimate!"

"And what is this 'challenge'?" asked Haruto Hanko. "Despite what I you think, I can promise you I am already capable of defeating it."

Reijirou braced himself.  _Here it comes…_

Monokuma grinned. "It's a Killing Game!"

There was a moment of tense quiet as everyone processed the announcement. Once again, Rika broke the silence. "But I don't want to kill anyone!" she said in clear confusion.

"Are we seriously doing this?" Take Muto asked, exasperated, "C'mon, I could be doing things that actually matter!"

Nearby Seihiko Ginnaga trembled, nearly falling over. "How can you be so calm?! This freaky bear has us trapped and wants us to kill each other!"

Take laughed and clapped Seihiko around the shoulder with one arm. "Don't be so worried. I can protect ya, if you're worried."

Kokoa side eyed Take and muttered, "I'd be more worried that you'd steal from me."

"Are any of you seriously thinking this 'Killing Game' is gonna happen?!" shouted Gorou over the commotion, then turned back to Monokuma, "And you! Why the hell should we listen to a thing you say?! Or even believe you?"

"Yeah motherfucker!" Akiko agreed, "Give us one good reason to play along with you!"

"You want a reason?" Monokuma asked innocently. "I can give you one good reason! It's the only way to escape to the outside world!"

Gorou scoffed. "Again, why should we believe you?"

"We all have human decency," added Isao, finally recovered from his shock, "We can wait for someone to rescue us."

"Rescue? Hah! No one's gonna find you bastards! And it doesn't matter if  _you_ believe me! As long as  _one_  of you believes it, the Killing Game will begin sooner or later!"

"That...that's stupid!" shouted Homura, "How would we even do it? Just start beating each other up like in those old movies?"

Reijirou had to admit he was curious about that too. Depending on what the rules of this 'Killing Game' were, he might be able to sabotage it without Monokuma realizing it. But if it was a free for all...

Monokuma waggled his finger disapprovingly. "No no no! This Killing Game is far more sophisticated! In order to escape from the Talent Camp for Penultimate Students, you must kill another student  _and_ not be caught!"

_Not be caught? Just that just mean if no one sees you do it you escape?_ Reijirou wondered.

Shiori echoed his thoughts. "How...how are we supposed to go about catching them then? We aren't police officers or detectives or anything!"

"When someone commits a murder, I will give all of the students time to investigate the case!" Monokuma explained, "Once that time is up, the students will all have to find the identity of the culprit, the 'blackened,' at a Class Trial!"

"And what happens once we catch them?" Haruto inquired, sounding strangely calm.

Monokuma laughed. "Confident in your abilities, eh? I think I'll save that for when the first murder occurs! Now, all of the camps rules are in the Monopads I provided for you, so you have no excuse not to know them! Now go on! Prove your worth in the Killing Game and get right to it! Upupupupu!"

Still laughing, Monokuma opened a hatch in the floor of the stage and hopped down out of sight, leaving Reijirou alone on the stage. He looked out at the students, some still in shock, others shaking with panic or anger. He took a step forward, then froze.  _What do I do? What do they need right now? Crap, they all probably need different things, what should I—?_

A choked, gasping sob from the back of his room drew his attention. Kashie hide under her fur coat, but he could still see her trembling fiercely. "I don't— I don't want this...I just...wanna go home…!" Her breathing was ragged and shallow.

Reijirou quickly jumped down from the stage and went over to Kashie, kneeling down beside her. "Hey Kashie, you need to slow your breathing, okay?" he said, "I'm gonna count, and you're gonna breath in for four…" He continued leading Kashie through some basic breathing exercises, and slowly she got her breathing back to a more normal rate. Eventually she peeked her head out from under her hood.

"...Thank you," she whispered.

"Just doing my job," replied Reijirou as he helped her stand back up.

"Yeah right!" shouted Gorou as he stormed over to the guidance counselor. Despite his short stature, he radiated hostility. "There's no way your 'job' is really to help us if you work with the freaky bear! I bet you're here to play up our insecurities and sow conflict behind our backs! Sure, you act all helpful, but you're really here just make things worse!"

"I— I would never—" Reijirou stumbled over his words.  _He's kind of right; I'm sure that_ is  _what Monokuma wants from me, besides punishing them for breaking the rules,_ he thought,  _But I can't tell him I was kidnapped too or Monokuma will kill me and then they'll be_ alone  _and I don't want that and—_ He collected himself. "I gave my word before, and that wasn't just a show for Monokuma; the safety and well being of all of you students is my top priority, and I will do my best to show that in my actions."

Some of the students who still looked nervous seemed to relax a fraction at that. Hideyo separated herself from from Shiori's arm, and Kenji released the self protective embrace he had been holding himself in. Karen, Akiko, Haruto, and Kokoa still looked skeptical, but not hostile.

"Maybe our resident interrogator can figure out what this guy's real deal is," said Take with a glance towards said interrogator.

"Yeah, Skull," said Akiko, running up to the interrogator with a wild grin on her face, "Just tell me where to punch and I'll make him hurt!"

"Call me Ikeda, and did you forget he is also protected by the rules?" Akiko scowled. "While I certainly have some questions for our dear counselor, I would rather ask them...privately." With that Ikeda finally left the wall and looked at Reijirou. "Is there a time we could meet in your office?"

Reijirou blinked in surprise, but quickly caught himself staring. "Of— of course. I was actually just about to announce something about that." He turned towards the whole group again and cleared his throat. "I'm going to be in my office every day in the mornings right after breakfast and afternoons until about 3:00 in the afternoon. If you need to talk to me you can see me then for private sessions. The rest of the day I will be setting up activities to help us bond as a group and learn to trust and care for each other. Of course, if there is some other sort of problem you can come find me and I'll do my best to help."

_I'm so glad I planned this speech out before hand,_ Reijrou thought, sweating imperceptibly (he hoped). But he had used his time before this meeting carefully. He needed time to devote to talking to the students individually, to gain trust and help with individual problems. However, the only way he could think of to stop a killing game was to get everyone in the group to care for each other. If everyone could be at least friendly with each other, or eventually get to point of really trusting each other, then even someone...callous would find it difficult to find someone they'd be willing to kill.

Gorou still frowned. "You've still given me no reason to trust you." He glanced pointed around the room. "Or any of you, frankly. I'm out."

"Wait, Gorou!" Shiori called, but Gorou had already left through the mess hall's double doors.

"That cold-hearted asshole!" shouted Akiko, "When I see his smug face again, he's gonna get real acquainted with my fist!"

"Such… violent conflagration is unnecessary," said Karen, "While I will agree he was being...overly hostile, physical violence will not change his mind."

Akiko laughed sarcastically. "That's rich coming from you, Dictionary! You act all sophisticated and crap, but you're whole talent is about beating people up!"

"Shut up! You don't get it!" yelled Karen.

"I don't really understand what we're arguing about," declared Rika, "But you shouldn't be mean to Karen!"

Sensing the possibility of a real fight breaking out, Reijirou moved to stand between the two girls. "Now we don't need to be—"

"I— um!" Kashie said suddenly, "I need some time to think! Sorry!" And she rushed out as well.

"Kashie!" Shiori said in protest. She straightened herself and shouted, "No more fighting and no one else leave yet! I have something to say!"

Reijirou turned to her in surprise as the rest of the students quieted.  _I didn't expect her to be the assertive type._

"I think, regardless of his intentions, Mr. Saiki's idea of us bonding is a good one!" Shiori declared. "Distrusting each other, going off alone, that's only what Monokuma wants!"

Haruto looked somehow both intrigued and annoyed. "And how would you know that? Monokuma never said as much."

"But this is a Killing Game he wants us to play!" she said, "Distrust? Fear? Those things makes people more desperate, more willing to hurt someone to get out. We need to become closer so  _no one_  will want to kill, no matter how long it takes for us to be rescued!"

Isao clapped his hand on her shoulder, smiling. "All we need to do is wait."

"Yes yes!" added Hideyo. "We can work together to make it through this!"

"Yay! Teamwork!" cheered Rika, pumping her arms in the air.

"I second that!" added Homura, high fiving Rika with her good hand.

Reijirou looked around at the rest of the students. Kokoa and Karen seemed cautious, but they had relaxed a fraction. However, Karen still glared at Akiko, who returned the gesture. Remy's face remained so blank it was unreadable. Kenji still looked very nervous, but also torn somehow. Seihiko smiled weakly as Take clapped him on the back.

"A regular love fest, ain't it?" Take said, "Don't expect me to hang with ya'll all the time, 'cause I need my space, but I'm up for some group bonding shit, right buddy?"

Seihiko seemed shocked that Take was already calling him 'buddy.' "Uh, right!" he agreed.

Haruto laughed, his voice light but with a hint of a harsh edge. "We won't even need bonding and all that nonsense, because I'm going to find us a way to escape! Now, dear Shiori, since you have said your piece, I think I will be off. Can't solve this puzzle without all the pieces, now can I?" Haruto left, still laughing condescendingly.

"Oh, I don't like him, no no," said Hideyo.

"But if he manages to find a way out, it could be helpful," countered Isao.

Shiori looked a bit hurt at Haruto's words, but nodded. "I guess an escape plan isn't a bad idea either. Anyway, could we all meet here in the morning for breakfast, and talk about what we've found while exploring?"

All the students nodded or otherwise expressed some agreement, and slowly they began filing out of the mess hall. Kokoa looked around at the others, then quickly walked over to the door labelled 'Kitchen.' Karen, still tense from the conflict with Akiko, let Rika lead her out. Akiko stormed out while Homura followed, calling, "I'll make sure she doesn't break anything!"

Hideyo, who seemed to have regained her composure, cheered, "I'm going to check out the craft center! Who wants to come with?"

"Maybe later," said Shiori, "I wanna check out the rest of this building first. But have fun!"

"I think I'll join you," said Isao. As they began to leave, Remy silently followed behind them.

Take grabbed Seihiko's arm and said, "Come on buddy! Time to check out what kinda loot's still around." Sehiko's expression was somewhere between confusion and hesitation, but he let Take lead him out.

With that, Reijirou was left alone with Kenji, Shiori, and Ikeda. Kenji seemed to be debating with himself about something, stepping forward before huddling back into himself. Eventually he seemed to have made a decision, walking towards Reijirou, but Ikeda blocked his path.

"Could we have that private conversation, Mr. Counselor?" Ikeda asked.

Reijirou paused, then said, "I suppose so. Meet me in my office, okay?" Ikeda nodded and exited. Reijirou then turned to Kenji. "Did you also want to meet?"

Kenji started, then seemed to collapse into himself again. "I...well, I just...never mind," he murmured, head lowered in an attempted to hide his blush. He gave a small bow and quickly walked out the doors.

Reijirou glanced at Shiori, who was checking out the stage, as he walked to the left side of the stage to a simple door with a sign saying 'No Campers Allowed!' He pulled out a key he'd found earlier and unlocked the door. Inside were Reijirou's own quarters.  _At least I don't have to room with a bunch of teenage boys,_ he thought as he glanced around the simply furnished room,  _Everyone else has to share_. The room held a bed, bedside table, lamp, dresser, and window. In one corner was another door to a tiny bathroom. The key to the room had been on the bedside table. And in the other corner was the door to his office, which he now opened.

Reijirou found Ikeda looking over the bookshelf passively. He cleared his throat. "Well, we're in private. What did you want to ask me?"  _An interview with an interrogator. This should be...interesting...Who am I kidding? He's gonna read me like a book._

Ikeda stared at him, silent and intense. Reijirou gulped, but held his gaze. Finally, Ikeda asked, "Why did Monokuma hire you?"

Internally, Reijirou sighed in relief.  _I don't have to lie yet._ "I work as an advice columnist. I'm used to answering teens' questions and helping them out," he answered, "I guess...he was a fan of my work."  _How_ did  _Monokuma find out about me anyway? The paper wasn't that popular…_

"And what about you?" Ikeda pressed, "Are you a 'fan' of Monokuma's work? Is that why you work with him?"

Reijirou bit his lip, but eventually evaded the question by saying, "I work  _for_ Monokuma. He's my boss."  _And he's threatening my life if I don't work for him, but hey, small details._

Ikeda raised an eyebrow. "Let me be frank. Do you agree with this Killing Game?"

Reijirou hoped his panic didn't show on his face, because internally his mind was filled with  _Crap crap crap_ — _what do I say?!_ From the hint of a smile on Ikeda's face, it did. Eventually, Reijirou managed to stammer out, "I think that's enough for today, Ikeda. Thank you for, for talking to me, but I need to...to make sure I have time for other students as well. Have a good evening."

Ikeda titled his head, silently evaluating the guidance counselor. Ice crept up Reijirou's spine; with his face thrown into shadow by the setting sun, it felt like Ikeda could see into his very soul. Finally, Ikeda's hint of a smile fell and he shook his head. "Alright then. But Mr. Counselor, I will get my answers from you." With that ominous proclamation, Ikeda left Reijirou's office.

Finally alone, Reijirou collapsed into his chair, rested his head on his desk, and groaned. "I'm really not cut out for this...Unrequited crushes? Easy! Friends problems? Quick fix! Drama with parents? Hard, but way easier than teens being asked to  _murder_ each other by freaky talking bears! Nothing like  _that_ in any of my textbooks...God, what am I doing…" He picked up his head and dropped it back down on the desk, then again.

"Um…?" Suddenly a timid voice came from the doorway. He whipped his head up from the desk and saw Shiori standing in the walk open doorway.

"Shiori! I... I'm so sorry; I didn't see you," Reijirou said, jumping out of his chair.  _Have your breakdown later. They need you to be a source of stability._

Shiori shuffled her feet. "It's okay! You were uh...having a moment…"

"You heard that?!" Reijirou said, running his hand through his hair. He quickly attempted to pull himself together. "I— Eh-hem. I apologize. You don't need to be dealing with my issues and uh… stuff..."  _Wow, great adult-ing there, Reijirou. You sound so put together and not at all like you're in over your head._

"I...don't mind, though?" Shiori said, before giving a hesitant smile. "It's actually kind of comforting, knowing I'm not the only one shook up by this…"

"Really?" It slipped out before he could stop the words. Shiori blinked, then nodded slowly.

Reijirou paused, coughed, and slowly sat back down at his desk again before continuing. "...Knowing you're not alone in a difficult situation is important. Is that why you came to talk? So you don't feel alone?"

"Not exactly," Shiori said as she sat at the wooden chair in front of his desk and scooted closer. "I feel like I've already made a few friends, and even more amicable acquaintances. I'm more worried about the one's I'm...not friendly with."

"I don't think you need to worry. I've seen how you act with Isao and Hideyo; you're clearly a kind and considerate girl. At that point, it's on them, not you." Reijirou gave her a sympathetic smile.

Shiori shook her head, saying, "No, I know that, it's just...people are looking to me to lead them, I guess? Shouldn't a leader, like, unite everyone under one goal or something?" As she continued, her voice got more strained. "But Gorou and Ikeda don't agree with me, and Akiko and Haruto and Take just do their own things; I don't want them getting hurt, but I don't want them to hate me and I just don't know what I'm doing!" She panted from releasing so much pent up energy.

_Oh,_ Reijirou thought,  _I hadn't considered— Does she want to lead? She shouldn't have to..._ He glanced at Shiori, still shaking from her outburst.  _Do kids get so worked up about things they don't want to do? But she's really good at it, and it'd be hard for me to take complete charge with my...predicament...But I shouldn't just push it onto her either...Let's just stick to confidence boosting advice; yeah, that should work._

Eventually he quietly replied, "It sounds like you're under a lot of pressure. Some of it from the other students, but also from yourself. I think...what you need to remember is that you can't always get people to listen. Even great leaders won't be able to convince everyone. But I think if you lead by example, acting in the way you want the others to, even the people who don't agree with you will at least respect you."

Shiori looked at him, still uncertain. "You think so?"

"Of course!" Reijirou replied. "I think you're actually a fairly natural leader. If anyone can eventually unite everyone, it's you. You also shouldn't feel like you have to; no one appointed you leader, but if you feel called to do it, I say go for it!"

"...Okay!" said Shiori, raising up her fists as if to pump herself up, "I'll keep doing my best!" She turned to exit the office, but quickly turned back around right before the door. "Thank you, Mr. Saiki! I don't really know what's going on with you and Monokuma, but I can tell you're on our side." And then she was gone.

Reijirou finally collapsed back into his chair. He had not really expected to have two session with students on the first day, much less ones as emotionally intense as Ikeda's or thought provoking as Shiori's. He dug around in his desk to see if Monokuma had given him any paper or notebooks to write on. Eventually he came up empty, sighed, and opened the 'Note' app on his 'Special Employee Monopad.' He focused on transcribing the sessions as best as he could remember, (what he wouldn't give for a voice memo app), added a few immediate thoughts, then closed the app. He'd add more thoughts later.

He glanced over the rest of the apps on the Monopad. He's already used 'Profiles' and 'Notes,' and earlier he'd glanced at 'Maps' to find a map of the island, although strangely it wasn't completely labelled. That left 'Truth Bullets,' which he couldn't open for some reason, and 'Rules and Regulations.'  _Better know what the students might be sent here for,_ he thought as he opened the app and glanced at the rules.

'Rules and Regulations for the Talent Camp for Penultimate Students

Campers may not leave the island; they will live at the camp indefinitely.

'Nighttime' is from 10:00 pm to 7:00 am. During Nighttime, the mess hall will be locked, and the water in the bathroom buildings will shut off.

No destruction of Camp buildings or facilities, including fences, gates, monitors, speakers, or cameras.

Campers are allowed to explore open areas of the camp freely.

Violence against Monokuma or the Guidance Counselor is strictly prohibited; breaking this rule will lead to immediate extreme punishment.

Monokuma can send any camper to the Guidance Counselor if they break a rule, where he will choose an appropriate punishment.

A camper may escape the island if they can kill another student, unless they are discovered.

More rules may be added at any time.'

Reijirou frowned.  _Why is rule five the only one with immediate death as the punishment?_ He shivered, remembering Akiko's stunned face. _Maybe he doesn't want to thin the numbers too quickly and ugh I feel horrible just thinking that…_

He looked back at rule six. It was worded somewhat ambiguously; would Reijirou be picking the punishments, or Monokuma? "If I can pick the punishment," Reijirou said as the realization hit him, "I don't have to go so hard on the students! Especially if I can somehow defend it to Monokuma...Maybe I can make this work…"

He looked out the window and realized the sun had now fully set; the clock in the Monopad said 9:00 pm.  _Better take a shower now is case my water shuts off too._ He rose from his desk, feeling the most confident he had since he'd woken up in this strange place.  _I believe in those kids, and I believe in me; we can outsmart Monokuma and get out of here!_

_Prologue: If at First You Don't Succeed…_

END


	4. Chapter 1 (part 1)

_Chapter 1:_ _All that Glitters_

On the Penultimates' first full day on the island, four chimes rang through the morning air, and Monokuma announced over the speakers, "It is now 7:00 am! Nighttime is officially over, and the Mess Hall is open! Now get out there and start working on your talents! Upupu!"

As the announcement sounded, Shiori awoke with more energy than she knew what to do with. She took the fastest shower of her life, threw on her spare change of clothes, and announced to her cabin, "I'm heading to breakfast!"

Shiori had checked who was in which cabins last night. Besides herself, her cabin had Kokoa, Karen, and Homura; Rika, Kashie, Hideyo, and Akiko were in the other girls cabin. For the boys, Haruto, Gorou, Takeo, and Isao took the cabin directly across from Shiori's, and Take, Seihiko, Remy, and Kenji rounded out the group in the last cabin.

However, Shiori soon realized the only other person in the cabin was Homura, who stirred in her bunk above Shiori, mumbling "Five more minutes…" Karen was still in the shower building, as she'd been since Shiori woke up.  _She must be particular about her appearance,_ Shiori had thought when she'd left the shower herself and saw Karen still fussing with her hair. Although Karen had been up early, the earliest riser of the group was Kokoa; she was walking out the door, fully dressed, when Shiori awoke.

"Ops, sorry Homura," Shiori apologized as she backed out of the cabin. Outside, she saw Isao stretching a little in front of his cabin. She blushed a bit at his toned muscles, but shook it off as she approached. "Hey Isao! Did you sleep well?"

Isao stopped stretching and replied, "Not as well as I'd have liked, but considering everything that's happened, I'm just happy I got to sleep."

"Huh, it was kinda similar for me; I had so much adrenaline it was hard to sleep, and I woke up as soon as I heard the announcement," Shiori said, then glanced back at her cabin, "But I wasn't even the first one awake! Karen and Kokoa were already up."

Isao shrugged. "I'm up because I'm used to early mornings, but Haruto and Gorou are still sleeping. I'm kind of surprised. I expected Gorou to go find somewhere else to sleep, what with his talk about distrusting us."

"I almost did," said Gorou as he left the cabin. Shiori jumped, but Gorou continued anyway. "But there wasn't anywhere to sleep comfortably, and I ain't making myself and easy target by being tired. Besides, who could sneak into any of these cabins at night without waking the other people? The doors squeak like all hell."

Shiori composed herself and said, "That actually makes the group rooms a good thing then. And honestly, staying in groups is a pretty good idea, right? If you're always with others, you're less likely to be targeted because of potential witnesses." She delivered that last bit looking right at Gorou.  _See, staying together is better for reasons besides becoming friends, Mr. Grumpy Pants._

Gorou frowned, thinking, before muttering "I'm getting food," and walking away towards the mess hall. She watched him go.  _I'll take that as a victory!_

"How about we get going to the mess hall as well?" said Isao, voice weirdly loud.

"I mean, I thought we could wait for some of the others," said Shiori, a touch confused.  _What's up with him? He was fine just a second ago._

Before Shiori could consider Isao's behavior, Hideyo came running up to them. "Good morning! Did you two sleep alright? I can't wait to get going on figuring out what's going on, yes yes!"

Shiori giggled a bit at Hideyo's enthusiasm. "Wow, you're even more awake than me! And yeah, we slept alright."

"I like to wake up early to paint!" Hideyo explained, "The light in the morning is some of the most beautiful!"

"Well how about we get some food before we start planning for the day," said Shiori, "And we did agree to meet everyone this morning."

"Oh, yes yes!" said Hideyo, "Let's get going."

"Onwards, then," said Isao, and the trio began making their way towards the Mess Halls.

About halfway there, Hideyo suddenly gasped. "Oh! I just remembered! Did either of you seen Kashie since she left the mess hall yesterday?"

"No, why?" asked Isao.

"She never came back to the cabin last night and she wasn't there this morning!" cried Hideyo, "I'm really worried she might...I mean she went off by herself and—"

"Hideyo, calm down!" said Shiori, grabbing Hideyo's arm, "If she doesn't come to the meeting this morning and no one else has seen her, we'll go look for her, okay? I doubt anyone would resort to murder just—"

"There's no need to talk about any of that," Isao interrupted, "Let's just get breakfast, okay?"

The two girls stopped, and Shiori said, "Ah, right."  _Okay, Isao is definitely acting kind of weird._ She bit her lip.  _I'll...maybe I can talk to him later? Yes, that should work._

Just as the group was about to enter the mess hall, Shiori said, "Uh, actually? I have something I need to tell you guys." Isao and Hideyo both paused, and Shiori led them off to the left of the door. She drew herself.  _I trust them; they should hear this._  "I went to talk to Mr. Saiki last evening, before I came back to the cabins."

Hideyo gasped in awe. "You did? What did you talk about? What did he say? He seems nice enough and I don't think he's a bad guy but I didn't want to the first one to talk to him."

"Technically the first one to talk to him was Ikeda," added Isao, "But he didn't say anything to the rest of us in the cabin about what happened, and based on his attitude, I doubt he'll tell us later."

"Anyway!" Shiori whispered harshly, getting back on topic, "Right before I went in, I overheard him talking to himself. He seemed really stressed and upset, talking about how this...situation was so different from what he usually dealt with." She hesitated, unsure if she should disclose exactly how distraught Mr. Saiki looked in that moment, but then moved on and said confidently, "I think Mr. Saiki was telling the truth when he said he wanted to help us. I don't think he wants us to get hurt."

Hideyo gave a small cheer. "Yes yes! I knew I had good feelings about him."

"I'm glad too, Shiori," said Isao, "But that doesn't tell us why he's working with Monokuma."

Shiori faltered at that.  _I...that's right; why does Mr. Saiki work for a kidnapper?_ "Maybe…" she pondered, "Maybe he knew we'd need an ally, and so he took the job so someone cruel wouldn't? But how did he find out about all this in the first place? Hmm..."

The group considered the problem in silence for a few moments, but then a grumble from Isao's stomach ruined the solemn atmosphere. Hideyo laughed and said, "Better get some food in you, Mr. Danseur!"

Isao smiled back. "Won't say no to that!" All chuckling, the group entered the mess hall.

Shiori surveyed the room. As he had said yesterday, Mr. Saiki waited for the students as he sat at one the cafeteria style tables eating bowl of miso soup and some rice . Kenji sat a different table, picking at a sad looking muffin, while Remy sat directly across from him with a bowl of sugary cereal. She could hear clanging and muttering in the kitchen.

Cautiously, Shiori peeked into the kitchen. On one side she saw Gorou reaching into a cabinet to grab what looked like a prepackaged bento box, and on the other Kokoa furiously stirring a pot on the stove. All around her where various baking supplies, and Shiori spotted some kind of pastry in the oven. As she, Isao, and Hideyo entered the kitchen Gorou pushed past her. Shiori cleared her throat. "What are you making, Kokoa?"

Kokoa jumped and turned around. "Pain au chocolat," she said, frowning, "Don't interrupt me."

"Okay!" Shiori replied quickly. Carefully avoiding all of Kokoa's supplies, she grabbed a small serving of rice from the rice cooker and a banana. She never really ate all that much for breakfast, so with that she left the kitchen.

Immediately she saw that Gorou had not stayed in the mess hall. However, Karen and Rika had arrived. Rika bounced up and down impatiently in her chair. "I wanna get food though!" Rika whined.

"You might wanna wait a bit; it's pretty crowded in there!" Shiori said.

Karen looked to Shiori and nodded pointedly. "Exactly as I elucidated. You'll need to wait." Rika pouted, but stayed in her chair.

Shiori looked over at Mr. Saiki. He still just sat at his table eating, although he occasionally looked up at the students. Biting her lip, she slowly walked over to the counselor. "Uh, thanks for making rice!" she said.

Mr Saiki, who looked a bit startled, said "Um, right. Right of course, you're welcome. I just...figured it'd be simpler than everyone trying to make their own."

"Okay…" She struggled to find something important to add, gave up, and simply said, "I'm gonna...go eat with Isao and Hideyo now." She stiffly turned around and went to the table where Isao and Hideyo now sat.

Isao had an almost absurd amount of food in front of him. Two bananas, a bowl of cereal, three mini muffins, and a bowl of rice with an egg on top. He was already digging in to one of the bananas with an intensity and focus that seemed like he hadn't eaten in days.

"Wow, I guess you are hungry," Shiori said as she sat down a seat away from him.  _One seat away isn't too close, right?_  she thought, biting her cheek nervously, _This is acceptable distance for just-friends-and-definitely-not-crushes, right?_ She left out a breath to calm down. "Are you sure you're going to able to eat all of that?" she asked.

"Yes!" Isao snapped, grabbing the muffins from their plate near Shiori and pulling them closer to him. He quickly popped the rest of the banana into his mouth and started on the rice.

Shiori blinked and leaned away a bit. "Right, right." Hideyo looked up from her fruit cup and gave a look that seemed to ask 'Do you know what's going on?' Shiori glanced furtively at Isao, then gave a small shake of her head.

In the end the group ate in silence as more people began filtering into the Mess Hall and getting food. After about thirty minutes, everyone except Gorou and Kashie had gathered in the room. Take and Akiko were brave enough to try some of Kokoa's now completed pastries, but the other students had abstained. Shiori stood up and said, "Um, alright! Now that everyone's here, we can start the uh...meeting!" She faltered, but continued. "Is there any vital information anyone had found they wanna share with everyone?"

"I wanna know what Skull found out from talking to Teacher!" said Akiko, glancing pointedly at Ikeda and Mr. Saiki.

Ikeda looked unperturbed. "I don't recall ever saying I would share what I learned from our talk." He looked over to Mr. Saiki with a strangely knowing look. "And I doubt a professional counselor would break patient confidentiality." Mr. Saiki's eyes widened a bit and he started coughing.

"Oh, you are making me mad, Skull," Akiko said, cracking her knuckles, "You do not wanna see me mad."

"I could make a guess, based on your foolishness from yesterday," Ikeda replied.

"Nope! No fighting! Have your disagreement later!" Shiori shouted, crossing her hands in front of her like an 'x'. "Once again, things to be shared for the good of the order?"

Take smirked and raised his hand. "I found a bunch of basic medicine in the medical center. We won't need to worry about getting sick."

"Wait a second, that reminds me!" said Homura, "Why did I see you and Seihiko carrying bags of things out of there yesterday?"

Seihiko began to explain. "You see, we—"

"We snagged a bunch of the more dangerous stuff," Take interrupted, "Scalpels, syringes, that sorta stuff. Wouldn't want a potential murderer to get at them, right?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Shiori saw Isao gag for a second, but then more people started talking.

"And we should believe you just got rid of all of it?" asked Kokoa, sarcastically, "If you're so worried about 'safety,' are you going to confiscate all the knives in the kitchen too? Or all of other crap around here that could theoretically be used for murder."

"I must confer," added Karen, "Given your talent...why should we trust you didn't… pilfer the weapons for yourself?"

"Aw, aren't we supposed to be the lovey-dovey trust bunch?" Take said, batting his eyes innocently, "I'd take you to where we buried them, but that's defeat the purpose of hiding them. I promise we hid them in a safe place! Right, Buddy?" He nudged Seihiko.

"Um, we did hide them. I promise," Seihiko added quietly. He looked around at everyone. "I thought it'd be safer, and unlike the kitchen stuff, it's not like any of us know how to use them for what they're uh, actually for…"

Suddenly Isao stood up. "This is not what we should be talking about! We need to focus on escaping and not...that. There's nothing wrong; we just need to get out of here." A drop of sweat trickled down his brow.

_He's a lot more stressed than I thought,_ Shiori realized,  _Maybe that's why he was protective of his food? I don't know. Oh boy…_

"On the topic of escape, I have an insight," said Haruto, rising confidently from his seat. "I followed every fence I could find in this place, and found no place for a boat to land." He smiled smugly. "That means we must have been brought here by helicopter."

"Well, wait..." said Shiori cautiously, trying not to upset him, "Aren't there some parts of the island we can't reach because of the fences? On the map, it looks like there might be a bay past the fence by the pond. What if there's a boat there?"

Haruto's face went bright red and he clenched his fists as he turned to her. "We have no evidence that says there is a boat  _or_ a bay. Monokuma could have...intentionally made the map misleading."

"We also have no evidence of a helicopter, nor where our captor would be keeping it," said Ikeda. "Unless it's behind those fences, in which case a boat hidden outside them is just as likely."

Haruto absolutely fumed, before crossing his arms and declaring, "Well! In either case, that's better for us! If we can shut down the power to the fences, we can steal whichever vehicle it is and escape!"

"That...actually isn't a bad idea, Haruto," Shiori said.

"Of course it's a good idea! It just takes a mind like mine to figure it out," Haruto said, voice haughty once again.

"...What if there's no way to switch the power to the fences off without destroying the power source? There's a rule against destroying camp property..." said Remy, suddenly breaking his long silence.

Akiko punched one fist into the palm of her other hand. "I say screw the rules if it'll mean getting out of here!"

Mr. Saiki cleared his throat. "I...would also like to remind you to be...careful when dealing with dangerous things like...power generators…"

Akiko glared at Mr. Saiki and gave him the bird.

Haruto blanched, stammering, "Well, we, we will deal with that once we find the power source!"

"...But what if we can't get at the power generators? They could be outside the fences..." asked Kenji, picking at his muffin's wrapper.

"If we're dealing with locks, I'm your guy," said Take.

"But...you couldn't get open the lock on the art center before…" murmured Hideyo.

Take gave Hideyo a pointed look. "That was one time," he said through his teeth, "I'm the best bandit there is; no lock will stop me forever."

_This is getting too tense,_ Shiori thought. "Okay, new topic! Has anyone seen Kashie around?"

After a long, silent moment in which Take glared at Hideyo and Haruto glared at Shiori, Remy raised his hand. "I did." But as was his habit, he did not elaborate.

Shiori still sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. Where did you see her, and when?"

Remy actually almost smiled. "This morning...She was sleeping on her jacket...under a tree just past the cabins…" He frowned then. "She had one of the bats from the sport's equipment shed next to her..."

Shiori bit her lip.  _She looked so scared before, and I bet she doesn't trust us, so getting a...weapon makes sense..._ "Thanks, Remy. I think I'll see if I can check on her later."

Haruto scoffed, still red in the face. "Honestly this discussion is meaningless at this point; I'm done dealing with you…" He stormed off, mumbling something about 'underestimating me' and 'you'll see I can solve this.'

For a moment Shiori considered trying to stop him, but instead she let him leave, saying, "Actually, that was pretty much all I wanted to cover, so…"

Rika perked up from where she'd been laying her head and arms on the table. "We're done? Yay! Time to go play!" With that she skipped out of the door.

"And I'm going exploring!" declared Take, "Gotta see if there's anything interesting in the forests, right Buddy?"

Seihiko nodded, but just as the two were about to leave Homura walked over and said, "Well, I'm up for some exploring! Mind if I join you?"

Take looked her over. After a second he said, "Sure. Just make sure you follow my lead; I'm used to roughing it in the wilderness, so I know what I'm doing."

Homura gave a thumbs up. "Got it! If only I had one of my rifles! I could shoot us some bird meat!"

Kokoa's eyes widen in mortification as she whispered, "Why would you even do that? We have plenty of food."

"Uh, I knew that!" replied Homura, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head, "I was uh, trying to make a joke. Guess it didn't work. Darn! Need to work on my sarcasm." Then she turned to join Take and Seihiko at the mess hall door and exited the building.

Kokoa stayed silent in shock for a moment, before throwing up her hands and returning to the kitchen. Akiko, Kenji, Remy, and Ikeda each left by themselves. However, Karen eyed Ikeda as he left and quietly followed him out. Mr. Saiki picked up his dirty dishes and took them to the kitchen. Isao sat back down at his chair to finish his food, oblivious to whatever else was happening.

As these various groups began to disperse, Hideyo came over to Shiori and tapped her on the shoulder. "Shiori! Come with me to the art center! I need to show you something!"

"Sure, what is it?" Shiori asked as they left the mess hall and walked over to art center.

Hideyo led Shiori past the tables and shelves full of art and craft supplies to a storage closet. "Check these out!" she said as she pulled out what looked like a giant tarp. "These are the kinds of tarps people use for backgrounds in plays. We could use these to make backdrops for the stage!"

"Yeah, you're right, but what could we use a backdrop for?"

The two girls thought for a moment, but then Hideyo cried out, "A talent show! You could read something you've written, and Isao could dance, and we could ask the others if they want to perform too! And preparing for it would a fun way to pass the time until we can find a way out of here or someone can find and rescue us!"

Shiori began smiling, mind racing with possibilities. "That's such a great idea! Oh gosh, Kokoa could make refreshments! And Akiko could provide music, and maybe Kashie could be the Master of Ceremonies!"

"And even if people don't want to perform, they can have fun watching!" Hideyo clapped her hands, growing more excited. "I'm gonna start on a backdrop right now!"

Shiori bounced with energy. "I'll go start asking people if they wanna be in it! And see if Mr. Saiki wants to help."

"Come tell me who wants to join later, so I can figure out if we need more than one backdrop! Bye!" called Hideyo as Shiori left the art center.

_Who should I ask first?_ thought Shiori. Suddenly she remembered about checking on Kashie.  _Two birds with one stone then!_

She walked briskly back towards the cabins. On the way, she saw a couple of the other students. Karen was talking to Ikeda, who looked rather board with whatever she was saying. Gorou sat outside his cabin eating his bento. As she passed by he gave her a silent, intense stare before returning to his food.

Finally, Shiori reached the tree Remy had mentioned. Sure enough, Kashie was sitting under it, now awake but clutching her bat close to her chest. Keeping a fair distance, Shiori said, "Hey Kashie! How are you this morning?"

Kashie jumped. "Ah! Uh...I'm, okay? I guess…?" Her hands shook from how hard she held her bat.

"That's good!" Shiori said, a bit uncomfortable but trying to keep her voice level.

The two remained quiet for awhile, but eventually Shiori said, "Actually, I have another thing to ask you. You can totally say no; it'll be fine either way." Kashie looked puzzled, but nodded, slowly lowering her bat. Shiori took a breath, but her excitement made her words tumbled out of her in a rapid stream. "Hideyo and I are gonna try to put together a talent show! Would you like to be the MC? Like, announcing each act, commentating, stuff like that?"

Immediately Kashie's face turned bright red. "I, I don't know...I've never uh, done something like that…before..." Her stuttering was worse than usual. "Usually I just...read my speech all the, the way through…"

"Well, this would be like...a bunch of little speeches!" said Shiori. "And it wouldn't have to be fancy if you didn't want it to be. But, but like I said, it's totally cool if you'd rather not."

Kashie huddled herself up, her eyes shadowed by her hood. "I...I think I'd…" She paused, then looked up at Shiori. "...I'll tell you tomorrow?"

Shiori smiled. "That's fine!" she said, waving her hand in a calming gesture, "I need to see if anyone else wants to be in it anyway. So...I'm gonna go do that! It was nice to talk to you."

Kashie gave a black, puzzled look as Shiori walked back towards her own cabin. Once she was inside she sat down on her bed and pulled out her Monopad. She pulled up the profiles app and began looking over each of the students to see who she should ask about being in the talent show.  _Definitely Isao and Akiko, and probably Seihiko too, but who else? Remy could put up some of his photos, but would we be able to print them? Maybe Hideyo knows if the art center has a printer. Gorou? We don't have snow for him to sculpt though...Maybe Rika or Karen could show off some moves on stage? Wait— Karen said she doesn't do Jujutsu anymore...Who else's talent can be shown in a show?_ As she thought she hummed to herself, swinging her legs back and forth.

Suddenly a new thought occurred to her, causing her to stop humming and sit upright.  _What am I gonna read for the show?! Crap, what do I even do? All my stuff is too...embarrassing to read out loud, even if I had it here...Plus no one would even know what I was talking about half the time, unless they're shounen-ai fans…_ Shiori blushed at that thought and quickly covered her face with her pillow.

After a few flustered moments she recovered. "I'll...write something new, I guess," she said, "I mean...I said yesterday I should try to write original stuff more, so...yeah! I'll write a short story, and it'll be great!" She pumped her fists in the air.

Reinvigorated, Shiori got up from her bed and declared, "Time to get recruiting!" She exited her cabin and began looking around. Gorou had left, and no one else was around, although she could hear someone shouting from the soccer field.  _I'll check there first,_ she thought, cutting between the cabin across from hers and the boys' bathroom building to reach it faster.

When Shiori reached the field she saw that the voice belonged to Rika, who was whooping as she did cartwheel after cartwheel across the grass. Finally she fell into the ground. "Fifteen in a row!" Rika shouted, a bit out of breath.

"Fifteen?" Shiori gasped, "That's so many!"

Rika sat up and turned to her. "Oh hi Shiori! Do you wanna play? I forgot to ask Karen, and Mr. Green just likes to watch." She gestured to a patch of grass where Shiori now saw a small stuffed bear, the type found in a mall claw machine game.

Shiori paused. "Uh...sure, I guess?"  _I haven't played outside in a long time, but it might be nice to get some exercise..._

"Okay!" said Rika as she easily jumped to her feet and tapped Shiori on the shoulder, "Tag! You're it!"

* * *

_The two girls ran around the soccer field; Rika was in much better shape than Shiori, so it took quite some time for her to catch Rika. Once she finally did, she fell on her knees, panting._

SHIORI: I think...that's enough Tag…

RIKA: Aw, but I wanna keep playing!

SHIORI: We don't have to stop playing, necessarily. We could play…

[Cobs and Robbers]

**_[Shiritori]_ **

[Rock Paper Scissors]

SHIORI: ...Shiritori? That way we can rest a bit.

SHIORI:  _Plus I happen to be pretty good at it. Helps to be a writer when you play word games..._

RIKA: What's shiritori?

SHIORI: You've...never heard of it?

RIKA: No. What is it?

SHIORI: Well uh...It's word game where one person says a noun, and then the next person has to say another noun that starts with the sound the last word ended with, and you keep going until someone messes up or repeats a word.

RIKA: And whoever losses does push ups!

SHIORI: Uh, no… I mean you could do that, but it isn't like, an official rule.

RIKA: Huh, I've never played a game with another person that was so...still! That's sounds fun!

SHIORI: Wait, what sort of games have you played with people?

RIKA: Well, my managers or trainers played tag with me for stamina! Or dodgeball for evasion and reflexes! And we'd keep score when we spar sometimes; does that count?

SHIORI:  _It's all connected to her training...Wow, that's...kinda sad..._

RIKA: And I'd play with Mr. Green and the other bears! They're good for playing, but they aren't  _people_ people.

SHIORI: Well uh, it seems that they kept you entertained, so that's what's important. How about we start the game, if you wanna try it?

RIKA: Yeah!

_They played a few round of shiritori, which Shiori won quite quickly. However, the whole time Rika had an intensely focused expression, and each time she came up with a word, she grinned and looked to Shiori._

* * *

"That was so fun, Shiori!" Rika said when the last game was finished, "Thanks so teaching it to me!"

"It's fine!" Shiori giggled. Suddenly she remembered the talent show and cleared her throat. "Oh! And I wanted to ask you something. Hideyo and I are planning a talent show! We're uh, not sure when it'd be, but if you wanted, you could show off some of your moves for it, maybe...if that's a thing you can do with uh, gladiator moves…"

Rika's eye lit up. "Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes!" She bounced up and down eagerly. "I'll show you all of my moves! It won't be the same as a fight, but you'll get to see Atomic Rika in action!"

"Great!" said Shiori, "I'll let you know when it'll be, once we decide." She waved to Rika as she went to check out the rest of the area. No one was at the still locked tower, but Take, Homura, and Seihiko stood together at the tree line on the far side of the pond. Take was fiddling with Seihiko's yo-yo, and Homura was skipping stones across the pond. Despite having to use her left hand, she get them to skip easily across the pond, always right in the direction she aimed.

"Hey guys!" Shiori shouted across the pond, waving to catch their attention.

Seihiko looked up immediately from where he was watching Take and the yo-yo. "Oh hey! Did you forget something you wanted to say at the meeting?" He shouted back.

"No! It's a new thing!" she replied, "We're planning a talent show at the stage in the mess hall and I wanted to know if you guys would wanna perform in it?"

Take and Homura now looked up at Shiori. Seihiko smiled and said, "That's sounds really cool! I can do my new freestyle routine I've been working on."

"And!" Take said as he stood and wrapped his arm around his shoulder, "You and Homura can help me with a pick-pocketing demonstration." He grabbed Homura's arm, helping her up as he looked to Shiori. "Group performances are fine, right Miss Leader?"

"Sure, I don't see why not," Shiori said.

"Great!" said Take, finally releasing Homura and Seihiko.

"Will there be prizes and stuff?" Homura asked before giving Take a playful look, "Because if there are, I'm not gonna tone down my own act just cause I'm in yours too, Take."

Take in turn gave her a wolfish grin. "Oh really?"

Seihiko looked at the ground, biting his lip and tapping a finger against his leg.

"It's not a competition!" Shiori said, laughing, "It's just for fun to perform for each other!"

Take seemed a bit disappointed, but Homura simply shrugged and Seihiko actually looked much more relaxed.

_These three are not a group I would have expected,_  Shiori thought,  _But at least people are making friends._ She turned to leave and said, "We can make more specific plans for when later! Maybe at dinner or something!"

Once Shiori had left the group, she stomach grumbled and she realized its was well past noon.  _Wow; without my phone, I didn't even realize how much time has passed._ She walked across the soccer field to the path to the mess hall on the other side. As passed the buildings in the central area, she thought she saw movement in the nature center, but she figured it was probably Kenji, considering how interested he'd been in the building yesterday.

When she opened the door to the mess hall she saw that it was empty; the clock on the wall said it was already one-thirty in the afternoon, so she guessed most people had already gotten any food they wanted. Still, she ducked into the kitchen. When she opened the fridge, she saw that besides the food it had been pre-loaded with, people had already started storing other food inside. The entire bottom shelf was claimed by Kokoa's chocolates, with a large 'Do not touch' sign on them. Another person had made simple ham sandwiches, and these said 'Please feel free!' Shiori shrugged and grabbed one of the sandwiches.

Back out in the main area, she poked her head into the laundry room, which was next to the kitchen, to see if she could anyone else for the talent show. Instead, Shiori found that Mr. Saiki scrubbing the red polo shirt he'd been wearing this morning in one of the big sinks. It had a white stain running down the front.

"Hey Mr. Saiki!" Shiori said.  _This is perfect! I can talk to him about the talent show!_

He jumped slightly. "Oh, Shiori," he said, "I didn't hear you come in." He saw the sandwich in her hand. "I'm glad you found the sandwiches. I realized that no one had set a specific time for lunch, since when I came in I found some people had already come by, so I guess I...wanted to help out…?" He trailed off, sweating nervously.

Shiori looked at him blankly, remembering the rice from this morning, and then blurted out, "Do you stress cook, Mr. Saiki?"

He straightened up and breathed in sharply, but then rubbed his arm sheepishly. "It's more that when I get into the rhythm of repetitive tasks and I'm thinking too much I kinda...go overboard. Thankfully I didn't use up all of the bread and ham. That's how I got mayonnaise in my shirt. Thankfully my shirt from yesterday is still clean..."

Shiori smiled, trying to suppress a laugh. "Yep. Good thing." Mr. Saiki blushed a little and turned away back to his stained shirt, but she came over to the side of the sink. "Actually I have something I need to talk to you about!" she said, "See Hideyo and I came up with this great idea; we should have a talent show! We can show off our skills have have some fun while we wait for the police to find us!"

Mr. Saiki looked at her with a thoughtful expression, but then replied, "I think that sounds like a good activity. We'll need to figure out a way to let everyone know, which is turning out to be harder than I thought…"

Shiori frowned and asked, "Why? There's an intercom system; can't you use that?"

"No," he said, his voice darkening, "Only Monokuma can use that...I don't even know where the set up is…" That last bit was whispered, his head turned into his shoulder.

Shiori bit her lip.  _Maybe I wasn't supposed to hear that last bit._ "Well uh, since all the cabins are near each other, we can at least count on people being around there at bedtime! We can tell everyone then, if not at dinner!"

Mr. Saiki stood tall again. "Right. Now, what do you and Hideyo already have planned?"

Shiori excited told Mr. Saiki about the backdrops, Kashie agreeing to be MC, and who'd already agreed to perform.

"It looks like you're already doing some good work," he said when she finished, "How about I work with Hideyo to figure out how to set up the backdrops, and how to set up the chairs for the performance? And once you have everyone who's going to perform settled, we can plan some time to work out the order of the show. We could probably get everything ready to have the show tomorrow night, or maybe the day after."

"Assuming we aren't found by then, obviously," Shiori said.

"Right, right…" Mr. Saiki trailed off for a moment, once again in deep thought, but he soon snapped back to Shiori. "I think that's enough for now. Go ahead and keep planning, and we can talk at dinner."

"Okay!" she said, and exited the laundry room.  _Thank goodness he decided to help!_ she thought as she wandered back out of the mess hall,  _I hadn't even thought about how to actually rig up the backdrops._

Suddenly, she noticed that someone was standing by the corral fence. A certain tall and handsome someone—  _Come one Shiori, you can't get all mushy every time you see Isao! This isn't a shoujo manga, and even in those pining never works out well in those!_

She collected herself as she made her way over to Isao, who'd placed his foot on one of the cross pieces of the fence and was stretching over it. "Hey Isao, what's up?" Shiori said, trying to keep things casual even as her flush threatened to reach her ears.

"Oh hi. I'm fine, just trying to keep on my stretching and exercises," he said, "This is actually the only place in the whole camp with a bar that's even close to the right height."

"Right! Bar stuff! That's...a thing I know about!" Internally, Shiori groaned.  _Oh my god; can you get any more awkward._

Isao smiled slightly. "It is what they show in movies about ballet a lot, so that makes sense."

Shiori threw her shoulders back."Um! Also! We're planning a talent show! Uh, Hideyo and I, and I guess Mr. Saiki since he's helping set up the stage but anyway, you should definitely be in it!" She finally took a breath.

"That sounds wonderful!" Isao said as his eyes lit up, "Who else is performing?"

"Uh, just Rika, Take, Homura, and Seihiko for now. And Kashie's gonna be the MC! I haven't gotten to ask the other's yet."

"What about you?" he said.

"Ah! I was uh, gonna write something and then read it out loud," she said sheepishly, "I haven't started on that yet…"

"Well if you've been running around tell people about the show all day, when would you have had time?" He turns around begins stretching his other leg. "How about you take a break and work on it? There'll be time to tell everyone."

Shiori paused, but nodded. "Yeah, I could use a bit of a break...Do you mind if I...do that here?" She drummed her fingers against each other nervously.

"Of course not, as long as me practicing a routine won't distract you," he said, waving a hand over his shoulder.

Quietly, Shiori sat down on the grass, pulled up her Monopad's Note app, and began to write.

* * *

_The two continued in silence for a while, Shiori alternating between typing on her Monopad and watching Isao as he finished stretching and began dancing in the open grassy area just beyond the corral. Eventually she put down her writing in frustration._

SHIORI: Uh, I can't seem to think of anything…

ISAO: Writers block?

SHIORI: Yeah; I just don't know where to start…What's the dance you're doing? Is it from something?

ISAO: It's from Swan Lake. I've been learning Siegfried: uh, that's the prince. It's his Act I solo.

SHIORI: Oh! I've heard of Swan Lake...

SHIORI:  _It's honestly one of like, three ballets I know by name..._

[It's...about swans.]

[It's by that one Russian composer.]

**_[It's an original story.]_ **

SHIORI: It has an original story inspired by different fairy tales. I've heard of ballets adapted from real fairy tales and things, but Swan Lake manages to be in that same style while also being kinda different.

ISAO: Uh-huh! Of course you'd mention the story, being a writer.

SHIORI: Well uh...yeah I guess. But honestly the story is pretty interesting! Transformations and deceptions and things...I don't know many ballets, but of the ones I do know it's definitely my favorite. Do you have a favorite ballet?

ISAO: Oh gosh, I could never pick just one...I do love Swan Lake though, especially the scene with Odile where she tricks the prince. It's just so dramatic. Even if the understudy rehearsals were uh...kind of awkward…

SHIORI:  _Understudy...that's like, the backup person who knows the part incase the main person can't perform…_

SHIORI: Why's that? Did the understudy not know the dance?

ISAO: No...uh, actually it's because the understudy was my sister…

SHIORI: Wait! You have a sister? And you  _both_ dance? That's so cool!

ISAO: Yeah, Takara. She's my twin, and we both go to the same dance academy…Hey, why don't you write your story based on some fairy tale elements? That way you have a starting place, but you can still mix it up?

SHIORI: ...Sure, that could be fun! I'll try it out.

SHIORI:  _Why did he change subjects so quickly? Maybe there's more to his relationship with his sister...But I'll wait to ask; I don't want to pry…_

_With this Shiori turned back to her writing and Isao resumed practicing his routine._

* * *

In the end the two stayed by the barn until late afternoon. Shiori read over what she's written, nodding.  _This'll work; a little simple, but emulating fairytale style prose was fun._ Isao leaned against the fence nearby, having finished practicing his routine. Shiori carefully avoided staring at his shirt, which clung to his chest from sweat.

"What's you end up coming up with?" Isao asked, glancing over her shoulder at her Monopad.

"Hey, no peeking!" she said, holding the tablet away and out of his sight, "You gotta wait for the show with everyone else."

Isao gave a small laugh. "Guess I can wait."

Shiori opened her mouth to reply, but the crackle of static from the intercom system stopped her.

"Attention everyone! This is an important announcement from the Talent Camp for Penultimate Students! " cried the voice of Monokuma, "All campers and staff are to report to the mess hall immediately for a special meeting! Failure to attend will result in punishment, so you better get going! Upupupu!"

Shiori looked at Isao, who had gone stock still. Tentatively, she stood and stepped towards him. "Hey, are you okay?"

Isao shook his head and fixed his glasses. "I...I'd just almost forgotten about that stupid bear. I thought...I don't know what I thought…"

"I don't think we should worry," Shiori said in reassurance, "Whatever Monokuma wants to say, we know we don't have to listen! We can work together against him."

"Right," he replied, nodding, "Let's get going then, so we can get this over with quickly."

The duo quickly made their way to the Mess Hall. Kenji and Hideyo were already there, and the rest of the students arrived soon after. Mr. Saiki stood stiffly on the stage, glancing around at everyone.

Shiori and Isao quietly joined Hideyo where she stood by one of the tables. "Do you have any idea what's going on?" asked Hideyo, wringing her hands.

"Nope," said Shiori, slowly looking around at the others. Some, like Kashie, Seihiko, and Kenji, seemed nervous, while others, such as Akiko, Gorou, and Haruto, seemed more agitated. The only person who seemed completely at ease was Ikeda.  _I guess if you're an interrogator, you learn to hide how you're feeling,_ Shiori thought,  _That or none of this fazes him...not sure which of those is more likely…_

After about of minute of tense silence, Gorou shouted, "Hey Monokuma! We're all here! Get on with whatever crap you have planned!"

"Hey Teach, you know what's going on?" asked Akiko. "Where the hell's the bear?"

Mr. Saiki took a small step back. "I— that is, I'm sure that—"

Before he could finish, Monokuma suddenly dropped down from the cycling above the stage, just as he had the day before. "Now this is what I like to see!" the bear crowed, "Distrust! Suspicion! Everyone on edge! But there's something missing..." Monokuma dramatically point his paw out at the students. "No murders! All these different groups and personalities crashing together, but still no death!"

Gorou gawked. "It's been barely a day! What did you even expect?"

"I know a day might seem like not enough time," Monokuma sighed, "But every time I hope for the day one of bastards kills without me having to get so involved."

Mr. Saiki frowned deeply at that comment, but Akiko spoke before he could say whatever he was thinking. "You're already involved! You freaking kidnapped us!"

"I know, but if I leave you alone here you just get bored enough to start planning freakin' talent shows!" Monokuma boomed. Shiori and Hideyo jumped.  _How did he know about that? Does he have microphones hidden everywhere with the cameras?_ "Therefore! I have gathered you here to present to you a motive!"

The students collectively stared at Monokuma. Even Mr. Saiki seemed shocked.

Monokuma grinned, pacing as he continued. "That's right kids! I have come up with an additional incentive to kill, since you seem perfectly content just waiting for rescue that's never gonna come! Mr. Saiki, the curtain!"

Mr. Saiki stood frozen for a moment, before jumping to attention. "Uh, right!" He quickly ran off the side of the stage, and soon the curtains swung open.

"I now present Monokuma's patented 'Get Rich Quick Kits!'" Monokuma said as he posed presentationally. Behind him on the stage were sixteen metal briefcases, each one on a simple metal stand. Every briefcase had one of the student's talents written on it. Despite herself, Shiori was immediately drawn to her own case.

Monokuma turned back to the crowd. "I have specially designed these kits with everything each of you would need to get rich from your talent! Contacts for managers and other important people in your fields! Resumes, letters of recommendation! Even some blackmail material to make sure you can get the proper favors! And of course, some cold hard cash to get you going! With this kit, I can guarantee that, if you use it right, you'll be famous worldwide within a year!"

The room went deadly quiet. Shiori did not dare look at her fellow students as dread froze her in place.  _It's fake, it has to be fake!_ she told herself, but some small part of her mind danced with visions of publishing contracts and book tours. She shook her head.  _No! It's not worth it, even if it was real!_ Still, she could not shake the deep feeling in her gut that, for someone in this room, it very well might be...


	5. Chapter 1 (part 2)

Silence reigned in the mess hall as Reijirou tried to process what Monokuma had just told them.  _A 'Get Rich Quick Kit'...could it be real?_ He carefully glanced around at the students; their faces held various shades of shock, confusion, and fear.  _It doesn't matter if it's real..._ he decided, ... _what matters is how it affects them. I've got to convince them even the possibility those cases are real isn't worth it!_

Finally the moment of silence that had seemed infinite ended as Gorou gave out a harsh laugh. "I can't believe you think we'll buy this! Do you think we're that desperate for fame?"

"And how are you so sure you know you fellow students as well as you think?" Monokuma replied, voice calm and cold, "Weren't you one of the one's going on about not trusting others? How can you be sure no one here is greedy enough to kill for a chance at fame?"

Gorou froze, fists shaking at his side. Soon, some of students began talking over each other.

"Would anyone do that?" said Seihiko, knees trembling.

"I've seen people kill for less," said Ikeda.

"But those were actual criminals!" Homura retorted, "We're just high schoolers!"

Ikeda's expression darkened. "Cruelty and greed know no age."

"That's right!" cried Monokuma, "If there's one thing you can count on in this world, it's that everyone has the potential to kill; it just takes pushing the right buttons! Upupupu!" Monokuma once again disappeared into the trap door in the stage floor. As he did, the pedestals with the cases descended as well.

An almost tangible shutter swept the room, as each student tried to grasp what had just happened. Karen's face paled as she sat down in a chair. Akiko brought her fist down on one of the tables with a clatter. Isao's eyes seemed to have glazed over. Hideyo clung to Shiori's arm, and even Remy gripped his camera with shaking hands.

Reijirou felt his heart beat fast in his chest. His mind raced with possible words of comfort or instruction, but they seemed to stick in his throat as he seconded guessed himself.  _What if I can't convince them? What if I make Monokuma angry and he kills me, or takes its out on them? I can't leave them here alone but I can't say nothing—!_  However, even as his brain seemed to fill with static _,_ he forced himself to breath in and out, counting with the breaths to slow down his thoughts.

"Okay everyone," Reijirou said after collecting himself, "This is...a very jarring piece of news. How about we stay here for a bit and talk about this?"

Even as some of the students began nodding, Gorou threw up his hands with a frustrated groan. "What's there to talk about!? Unless you guys are  _fucking morons,_ no one's gonna take that bear's stupid bait! And considering people have apparently been planing  _talent shows,_ it looks like we've given up on trying to escape—"

"That's not true!" shouted Haruto, pointing his finger accusingly at Gorou, "I'll have you know I have been working all day to find a means of escape."

"And you found anything?" Gorou asked, crossing his arms.

Haruto faltered slightly. "No, not yet...but at least I've been trying! Unlike everyone else here, unless  _you've_  been doing some secret sleuthing?" He began stalking towards Gorou, a fierce smile on his face. "Well, Gorou? Do  _you_ suddenly think you're smart enough to solve this? How's your talent in playing with snow helped you with this mess?"

Reijirou quickly stepped between the two boys. "Haruto, that's enough. We're all dealing with the situation as best we can." Haruto's mouth gaped.

_Not used to being confronted, huh?_ Reijirou thought.

"That...that's right!" Shiori interjected, looking up from the floor, "Not everyone is good at solving mysteries, but that doesn't mean we should just sit around waiting either! The talent show...it's meant to help us bond, and get to know each other, so things like... _this_  won't tempt us!"

"I— That's, but we— ugh…" Haruto ran his hand through his hair, gripping it as he collapsed into a chair.

Hideyo stepped up as well. "I agree with Shiori! Just because we are only acquaintances now does not mean we can't become friends, or that learning about each other isn't a worthy use of time, yes yes!"

"Not sure how one talent show is gonna get us to be close enough to call friends," said Take, "But I know I hit a dead end on those locks on the gates; those things must be some military grade shit. Looks like we're playing the waiting game, so we might as well not die of boredom, right?"

Akiko groaned. "Come on! There's gotta be something! I say we break into Monokuma's stupid trap door and face him head on!" She began stalking towards the stage.

Reijirou quickly ran to block Akiko's path. "No! No, we are not doing that! You could be seriously hurt trying to—"

"Do  _not_  tell me what to do," Akiko growled, roughly shoving Reijirou out of her way and jumping up onto the stage. She began stomping harshly on the trap door, but it remained firmly shut. "Anybody know where I can get a sledge hammer?"

"It seems you have once again forgotten the rules of our predicament," said Ikeda, "We aren't allowed to destroy camp property."

"I don't care about the rules!" said Akiko, continuing her assault on the trap door, "They won't matter once I beat that bear and whoever's controlling it into the fucking ground."

In the blink of an eye Reijirou lept on stage and firmly grasped Akiko's shoulders. "They matter because breaking them could get you killed!" he shouted, looking her dead in the eyes.

Once again the room went quiet. A strange mix of anger and confusion passed over Akiko's face, but she swiftly freed herself from Reijirou's grasp. She turned to the rest of the group. "I'm gonna find a way to wreck Monokuma's shit and break out of here; anybody's welcome to join me, but none of you better get in my way." She jumped down off the stage and crossed the room, but just before she reached the doors she turned back around. "Hey Bubbly," she said, looking to Shiori, "If I don't get us outta here by day after tomorrow, I'll be in your talent show thing." With that she turned back around and left.

Reijirou watched Akiko go, hands still hanging in the air where she had shaken them loose.  _Crap, crap crap. I was too forceful; I shouldn't have been so blunt...What will Monokuma say? Oh god—_

"So are we still doing a talent show?" Rika's question jerked Reijirou out of his spiraling thoughts. "Because I really wanna do it! Why can't we still do it if we end up escaping?"

"When we're...extrapolated from this island we'll all be back in our homes," said Karen, adjusting her glasses, "We would not all be together to perform a show."

"...Were you trying to say extricated?" asked Gorou, a bit incredulous.

Karen puffed up. "I know what I meant!"

"Actually!" Shiori interjected, "When we get rescued we can exchange phone numbers and set up a time to meet to have the show! How about this?" She turned to face everyone. "If the day after tomorrow we haven't gotten out of here, we can have the talent show; if we have, we can set it up later once we've recovered."

"Yay!" cheered Rika, throwing her hands into the air and turning to Karen for a high five. Karen rolled her eyes at Rika's antics, but carefully gave the high five.

"Sounds like a plan!" said Take, with Seihiko nodding beside him and Homura giving a thumbs up.

Hideyo clapped her hands. "Yes yes! A good plan!" Beside her, Isao finally came out of his stupor, smiled, and gave a sharp, decisive nod.

"I guess," Kokoa murmured, "It's not like it'll cause any harm…"

Remy released his camera and nodded slowly. "I haven't taken pictures of people in a while, but at school, I used to do the photos for the shows they did..."

"Yes! Do that!" said Shiori, giving him a big thumbs up. Remy wrinkled his eyes brows, stiffly returned the thumbs up.

Ikeda and Kenji remained silent, both in thought. However, while Ikeda seemed calm, Kenji still fidgeted with nervousness.

Gorou looked around the room, then finally huffed. "True, it's no harm...but it's still stupid!" He stalked towards the exit and out the doors. "Fine! I can't make you do something more productive and less frivolous to stave off your boredom! Just as long as your next stupid idea isn't starting the Killing Game, it doesn't matter to me!" Then he was gone.

"Why do all of our group meetings break up before we can have a real, in depth discussion…?" Reijirou said to himself, coming down from the stage and back into the middle of the room.

"It's because no one thinks of you as a real authority," said Ikeda, cooly passing Reijirou on his way out, "We've seen Monokuma show off the consequences of not listening to him, but you? There's no incentive to do what you say...outside of simple courtesy…or what pitiful level of intimidation you project naturally..." Reijirou caught a hint of a smirk on Ikeda's lips as the door shut behind him.

A sudden screech made Reijirou jump and he turned to Haruto, who had quickly stood up from his chair. Fuming and face red, Haruto stormed up to him. "You know I'm right," he said darkly, "You try to keep the peace with these simpletons, but you know they're useless when it comes to getting us out of here. That's why you side with them: to slow me down! Well it won't work! I  _will_ solve this mystery, and show the world what a  _real life Ultimate_ looks like!" He gave Reijirou a sharp shove and swept out of the mess hall, radiating determination and fury.

With the third dramatic exit in a row, Reijirou could feel something inside him grow cold. Suddenly he felt like the eyes of the remaining students were on him, peering into his soul and judging him. Even Shiori looked at him with something in her eyes. In the haze of his growing anxiety, he couldn't tell if it was concern, pity, or disgust. Those who looked nervous, Kenji and Kashie, glanced to Shiori.  _She's the one they put their trust in...and why not? She's charismatic, and kind, and not working with a psycho bear…_

All at once, Reijirou couldn't bear the tension. "I...think we'll have a meeting later…" He took one step back before bolting to the door to his room in the back corner of the room.

Once Reijirou closed the door he sank to the ground and pulled his knees up, resting his forehead on them. He sat and focused on breathing, trying to drown out all the fears and feelings of uselessness with the sounds of his breaths. Eventually he calmed down, wiping a few stray tears from his face. "Okay Reijirou," he said to himself as he stood up, "You need a new plan, because whatever you've been doing clearly isn't working."

He stepped into his office and sat in his chair. He pulled out some paper he grabbed from the art center and a pencil, but paused before writing anything.  _How do I even go about this? This isn't an essay or a client progress plan. Should I title it?_ Slowly he spoke out loud as he started to write. "Plan to get these teens to respect me enough so that I can—"

"Hey Counselor Man!" Monokuma's voice from the monitor interrupted.

"What the hell!" Reijirou said, startled.

Monokuma waved his paw as he spun in his chair. "We need to have a faculty meeting!"

Reijirou pursed his lips, trying to stay calm. "About what?"

"About you and how you haven't been doing your job!" said Monokuma said, pointing his paw accusingly.

_Crap, is he on to me?_ Reijirou did his best to look insulted. "What problems do you have with how I've been doing?"

"All this lovey-dovey crap! Breaking up fights! Being all, ugh, reassuring!" Monokuma pointed into his mouth and made a gagging noise. "You're supposed to using your psychological crap to stir up drama! All the drama that's been happening hasn't had anything to do with you! And you've even been trying to break it up!"

Reijirou paused, carefully planning his reply.  _It's a risk, but if I play it right…_ "I thought you would appreciate that I'm playing the long game, Boss."

Monokuma seemed to raise one eyebrow, despite not having them. "Oh? Care to explain your plan?"

"See, if I just start stirring trouble now, the students will immediately realize what I'm up to," Reijirou explained, hoping his nonsense was convincing, "So I'm trying to get them to like me and trust me, so they'll actually come to me for advice and share their feelings later on...And then I can pray on their insecurities and fears and uh...generally give the exact wrong advice…"  _God, I feel sick saying that…_

For a moment, Monokuma was silent, and Reijirou felt himself sweating. Finally, Monokuma let out a booming laugh. "Hahahaha! Not bad! In fact, I like it! The despair they feel when they realize your betrayal will be amazing! And if you save your skills, you can make sure we get a murder if we hit a dry spell. Those tend to happen more later on."

"What do you mean?" Reijirou blurted out.

"I thought it'd be obvious!" Monokuma chuckled, "After a few murders, the ones that are most easily tempted to kill are all gone, so you gotta work harder!"

Reijirou struggled to keep the disgust out of his voice. "And… how do you know this? It sounds like...personal experience…" He honestly hoped Monokuma would give some sort of crap about survival of the fittest or crackpot psychological theories, anything to dissuade his growing suspicion.  _Please tell me you haven't done this before. Please say you haven't put any other kids through this._

"Well aren't you nosy of someone who's your boss!" said Monokuma, "Besides, we've gotten off topic. I still want you to be more proactive in your work!"

Reijirou almost groaned at the deflection, but then an idea occurred to him. "Well, it's a little hard to get the students to come to my office or organize anything. I'd have to run all over to find the person. And that's not even getting into the problems we've had with planning group meetings."

Monokuma paused for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Looks like you didn't properly explore your office! You think I wouldn't give you a wasn't gonna give a way to call those brats here? Check in the bottom draw of the desk!"

"What? Why?" Reijirou said, leaning over to open the drawer, "I checked before and there wasn't anything—" His words died in his mouth when he saw a microphone and stand with a button on it.  _That definitely wasn't here yesterday...did he sneak into the room last night? Damn that's creepy…_

Reijirou cleared his throat as he pulled the microphone up and placed it on the desk. "...Right. This connects to the intercom system?"

"Right on the money! Now, as much as I appreciate your subterfuge, it ain't gonna work if you ain't talking to these kids! So get on it! I want you to talk to at least one person today!" With one last laugh, Monokuma disappeared from the monitor as it shut off.

Staring at the microphone, Reijirou pondered who to call to the office.  _I definitely wanna start talking to Gorou, 'cause I get the feeling it'll take a while to get through to him, but I bet he'll feel very threatened if I call him here, especially as the first person I talk to...Kashie could use some help, but I don't want to single her out either…_ He continued to think for a while, but eventually he came to a decision. Taking a breath, he pressed the button on the stand and spoke into the microphone.

"Hello everyone, this is your counselor, Mr. Saiki," he began, "I just now got access to the intercom system, so expect to hear me use it to call meetings or make announcements. I will also use it to call people to my office if we need to chat. One that note, Akiko Katsumi, could you please come to my office?"

He released the button and sighed.  _I think she'd be wary of me regardless of when I call her, but I need to make sure doesn't get herself hurt by breaking the rules…_

After a while of jotting down some points he wanted to be sure to cover with Akiko and and pacing nervously back and forth, the door to Reijirou's office slams open. Akiko stood in the doorway, tapping her foot rapidly. "I'm giving you one minute to say whatever the hell you want before I walk away and never give you the time of day again. So you better get talking."

Reijirou stood speechless.  _I...was not expecting that._

Akiko smirked. "That minute starts now, so get talking, Teach."

* * *

REIJIROU: Right, right uh...I suppose you'd prefer to stay there? But uh, feel free to sit if you want. In the chair or on the couch is fine.

AKIKO: Clock's ticking Teach. Don't waste your own time.

REIJIROU:...Of course. So, Akiko. We need to talk about your behavior in the gym earlier.

AKIKO: What about it? You gonna punish me for that little shove?

REIJIROU: No, no, but…

[I could young lady!]

**_[You need to work within the rules…]_ **

[Quit being so reckless!]

REIJIROU: ...I do think you can...express your frustrations with Monokuma without putting yourself at risk by breaking the rules.

AKIKO: Breaking rules is my whole thing. Aka, I do whatever the fuck I want and screw the rules!

REIJIROU:  _It's like talking to a brick wall! ...Let's try a more forceful approach._

REIJIROU: Okay, but also? Monokuma literally has guns in his hands and cameras everywhere. Just because you don't like rules doesn't mean he won't find ways to enforce them on you.

AKIKO: …

REIJIROU:  _Am I making a breakthrough?_

REIJIROU: Listen. I do think you care about the wellbeing of everyone here...or at least some people here. If you die trying to fight Monokuma, or I have to take you out of a situation as punishment for breaking the rules, you can't help them. Can't protect them.

AKIKO: ...If I can't break the rules, I'll just find loopholes. I  _will_ find a way to do what I want.

REIJIROU:  _And honestly, I think I might want you to! But how to say that without...saying it, since Monokuma can hear me aparently…_

REIJIROU: Of course you will. And  _if I catch you,_ we might have to have some more words! So I don't want to _see_ you skirting the rules. Alright?

AKIKO: Oh, you  _definitely_ won't see me. I've got some...experience hiding from authorities.

REIJIROU: Wait, really?

AKIKO: Whoops, times up Teach.

* * *

Reijrou finally sat back down in his desk chair. "Ah, right…" He almost smiled when he saw that Akiko's stance had relaxed ever so slightly. "Well, I hope you take what I say to heart."

Akiko tossed her ponytail over one shoulder. "Doesn't matter all that much," she said, shrugging, "But I'll warn you now, if you try to call me here again by that stupid intercom, I ain't coming. No one's gonna order me around. See ya 'round, Teach." Giving Reijirou her fiercest smile, she turned and left the office.

Once Reijirou was sure she was gone, he jumped up and pumped his fists in the air. "Yes! Successful session! At least I think so…" He quickly pulled out more paper to write down notes about the session.  _She seemed to get that working around the rules is safer in the long run and is still a means of rebellion. Not sure if she actually trusts me, but it's something…_

Reijirou glanced at the clock on his Monopad and realized it was already nearing dinner time. "To announce or not to announce…? Well, it's been one day. We can set a routine tomorrow." Still glowing from the success of his talk with Akiko, he walked back through his room into the mess hall.

Immediately Reijirou saw that no one was in the main area, so he walked over to the kitchen. When he entered, he found Hideyo sitting on one of the counters, a simple wrap in one hand and a red potted flower beside. When she saw him, she quickly hopped down from the counter. "Oh! Hello Mr. Saiki...How are you?" She seemed fairly cheerful, but perhaps a bit unsure of what to say.

"I'm alright," he replied, "Just thought I'd get a bit to eat for dinner."

"Yes yes! It is always good to eat a healthy meal," Hideyo said. She picked up her pot.

Reijirou gave a casual gesture towards the plant. "I didn't know you liked plants. What kind of flower is it?"

Hideyo perked up. "Oh, I do love plants and nature and things! I'd love to have a real garden; we don't really have the uh...space to have one back home." She held up the flower proudly. "It's a dahlia! I had never seen one before, but there were a few in pots in the nature center, so I decided to try caring for it."

"It certainly is pretty," Reijirou said, "Have you talked to Kenji at all about gardening? I bet he could give you some pointers."

Hideyo frowned slightly. "I'm...not super sure. He can be very rude sometimes. I saw him when I went to get the flower, and he just glared at me the whole time!"

He started a bit at that. "Really? He just seemed shy to me...then again, I guess I haven't talked to him one on one. Still, I think he might appreciate you asking for his help; it shows you value his knowledge and talent. Maybe just...don't push too hard?"

"I suppose...if I have any problems, maybe I will. Thank you for the advice!" Hideyo carefully passed by him and went out the door.

_Goodness knows Kenji needs some more people to hang out with,_ Reijirou thought as he took a few eggs out the fridge and began searching for a pan,  _The only person I've seen even try to get near him is Remy, and I can't tell if that's because he feels solidarity with another quiet person or if he just doesn't care…_ Quickly he made himself a simple omelette, which he took to sit in front of the outside door to his office. He saw Hideyo head back to the art center, and Remy laying on his stomach in the grass, his camera pointed towards the woods. The evening was calm, the heat of the afternoon fading to leave a pleasantly cool atmosphere.

_We can't be too far from home; if we were much further north or south, the weather would be different, especially since it's early summer._ The thought that they might not be far, that the authorities might come find them quickly, gave him some hope; maybe he wouldn't have to be the responsible adult for long. But at the same time, doubt still crept in. Whoever took them clearly had a lot of time and resources to plan this, given they had a whole island of facilities and food stored for months.

Eventually Reijirou finished his food and took the plate back to the kitchen to wash it. Once he finished cleaning up, he went up onto the stage.  _Let's see if I can figure out that trap door._ He examined the trap door that Monokuma had disappeared through. He could see no evidence of Akiko's stomping, and no obvious handle or even hinges. He sighed.  _Of course we can't just open it if Monokuma uses it to go back to his control room or whatever._

Absently he glanced up at the system of lights, poles, and cables above. He walked over to the side of the stage to examine the various pulleys that held up the poles the lights hung from.  _Maybe I can figure out if we can lower a pole to attach a backdrop to._ Each of the pulleys bore a label, and at the very end he found one labelled 'background.' Smiling, he slowly and carefully began to use the pulley to lower down a pole. It had no clips or other means of attaching anything. He frowned.  _I'll need to ask Hideyo if the backdrops themselves have a means of being attached._ He looked around backstage a bit more, and found that on the left side there was a doorway with a black cloth hanging in it. Poking his head through, he found that it lead to a short set of stairs and a hallway that lead behind the stage back to the right side.

Having explored the stage area to his liking, Reijirou headed back to his room. Quickly he grabbed his planning sheet from his office and jotted down some notes about his plans for tomorrow, forcing himself to really get detailed.  _Clearly playing it by ear won't work this time, so it's time to get a plan up to textbook standards._ He held up the plan as he reviewed it.  _Yeah! I could turn this in and get a freaking A+ on! If I had assignments about helping kids deal with being kidnapped and avoiding killing each other...instead of just lesson plans...or session notes…_

When Reijirou finished the plan, he took a quick shower and headed to bed, despite the crazy energy still racing through his body.

* * *

The next morning, Reijirou later decided his nervous energy was the resason he woke up almost an hour before the morning announcement. In the end he was only angry for a minute before he picked his his planning sheet and got to work.

"Number one: check the supplies in the first aid kit. If it is not sufficiently stocked, get extra supplies from the health center." Reijirou was thankful that none of the students were around to hear his habit of reading his schedule out loud.  _I'll only have to worry about Monokuma calling me a weirdo._ Opening the first aid kit he found that it was exceptionally well stocked; he'd been nervous it would be nothing but standard bandages, antibiotic ointment and maybe some roller bandages. Instead it had that and much more, including a few apparatus that Reijirou wasn't even sure how to operate. "Well...Awesome!"

After that success, Reijrou stood back up at got out the list. "Okay, number two: regardless of result of number one, go to the health center and familiarize yourself with the equipment there." Reijirou almost stepped out of the front office door before he realized he was still wearing his pajamas.

Once he was dressed, Reijirou headed to the health center to check it out. After exploring it from top to bottom he came the conclusion it had everything a simple family doctor's office would have, but nothing that could handle something like a surgery. And as the hour before morning announcement went on he explored each of the other buildings around the clearing.

The nature center predictably had various gardening tools and plants, but also some taxidermy animals and a falcon skeleton; it did have a chain saw, but thankfully it had no gas in it. Most of the tools were in their proper places, but a few looked liked they'd been used recently.  _Probably Kenji, but I haven't actually seen a garden anywhere. I'll have to look._

Next he poked into the art center. He saw a sketch of Hideyo's dahlia, but most of the table space was covered by a half finished backdrop. As he looked over it, he realized it was an abstract version of a swirling galaxy, with blues, silvers and teals creating a calm atmosphere. On one edge he found a series of ties to secure the backdrop to the pole. Quickly he looked into the storage closet and found a seemingly endless amount of art and crafts supplies.  _Too bad most teens aren't just gonna be into crafts; we could do something every day for months._

Last he walked over to the recreation building, but found that the door was locked. A sign on the door read 'Will open at a later date.' Reijirou sighed. "Wow, that's super specific and helpful."

Finally he reached number six on his schedule. "When the mess hall opens, announce a group breakfast; make coffee, tea, and hot chocolate for everyone." At first he had planned to make everyone breakfast, but then he realized he had no idea what to make or how much, so he decided to stick with drinks.

The morning announcement ended up going off just as Reijirou returned to his office. Swiftly he went over to his desk, turned on the mic and announced, "A small addendum: I'm making various hot drinks for those you decide to come get breakfast in the next couple hour or so. Have a good morning!"

When he entered the kitchen to begin making the drinks he ran into Kokoa. She was already setting out various ingredients, including cooking chocolate, of course. She glanced at him for a second, bit her lip, then turned back to her cooking. However, as he went over to the cabinets and opened the first one to look for the coffee, Kokoa said, "Coffee and tea are two cabinets over on the bottom shelf, and the cocoa is above that. If you make the cocoa with water, I will throw it out."

Reijirou gave her a small smile and replied, "Thanks, Kokoa." It took about half an hour to get enough of each drink ready and set out everything on one of the table. In the end he also brought out the orange juice. He sat at the table with his own cup of tea and a bit of toast. He had also brought a clean sheet of paper to start working on a plan for talent show, so as he waited for more students to come by, he worked on that.

The mess hall remained quiet for a while. So quiet that when someone finally picked up the hot chocolate, Reijirou almost shrieked. He looked up and saw Kashie, who jerked back and spilled some of the hot chocolate onto the table. "Oh shoot!" Reijirou said, jumping up, "Kashie, are you okay?"

Kashie slowly set down the hot chocolate, hands shaking. After a few shaky breaths she said, "I...I'm uh, okay...now, but I'm gonna...gonna just sit for a bit…" She sat carefully in the nearest chair.

"How about I pour the the hot chocolate?" Reijirou carefully poured a cup and placed it in front of Kashie.

Once that was settled, Reijirou sat back down too. As they waited for the cocoa to cool a bit, he glanced towards the door to see if anyone was coming.  _This might be a good time to talk, so she doesn't feel too confined._

* * *

REIJIROU: So, Kashie. How was your day yesterday?

KASHIE: It was...fine...I found a book to read...

REIJIROU: That's good...I think that people were a bit concerned that you didn't sleep inside. And I know I wouldn't want you to get cold or be caught outside if it rained.

KASHIE: Oh...that...that was uh, I mean, I slept inside last night.

REIJIROU:  _Well that's a good sign! At least she's a bit less paranoid…_

REIJIROU: So, I heard Shiori asked you to be the master of ceremonies for the talent show. Do you think you'll do it?

KASHIE: I...I put off deciding until today…

REIJIROU: Well then…

[It's your talent; you gotta do it!]

[Whatever you think it best...]

**_[We'll be happy with you even if you get nervous.]_ **

REIJIROU: ...this is a very casual thing; even if you were nervous, we'd all just be happy to see you participating.

KASHIE: Oh! I hadn't thought of it...like that…do you really think so?

REIJIROU: Yeah! It's just a simple showcase among friends, not a competition or a formal presentation.

KASHIE: I don't...I mean, uh, you think we'll be uh, friends? By then? I know that...friends would be supportive...

REIJIROU:  _Looks like she isn't sure she won't be laughed at…_

REIJIROU: Well, I certainly hope we will. And I'll be at the talent show to help moderate; I'll make sure there is absolutely no heckling or rube behavior. Even if you don't feel like we'll be friends by then, I promise the talent show will be civil and a judgement free zone.

KASHIE: Really…?

REIJIROU: Of course! The whole point of the show is for us to share our talents with each other in a safe environment. It's a time to show something we're proud of, not to feel like others are laughing at us! Unless someone's doing a comedy act, in which case it uh, would be okay to laugh but…

KASHIE: Heh heh...I guess...if you put it that way...I could...It wouldn't be harder than the, the competitions I've done.

REIJIROU: Right! Although I'm sure you did your best in those competitions.

REIJIROU:  _Also holy crap I think that was a laugh! And an actual smile!_

KASHIE: Not...not always but...thanks? It's...nice, to have someone be, uh, encouraging.

REIJIROU: What kind of counselor would I be if I didn't encourage my students?

KASHIE: ...I guess that's true…

* * *

The two drifted into a comfortable silence. Kashie slowly took a sip of her hot chocolate, glancing at Reijirou with her small smile. Reijirou simply nodded and kept on eating his toast.  _Sometimes just existing in the same space as another person can build trust._

Eventually more of the students drifted into the mess hall. Like yesterday, Shiori, Hideyo, and Isao sat and ate together, with Isao eating at least three times as much as the others. Reijirou made a mental note about that.  _I know he exercises a lot,_ he thought as he watched Isao eye the girls while he ate,  _But the possessiveness is concerning._

Take, Seihiko, and Homura sat together, with Take snatching bits off of both of his companion's plate. He heard laughing and some playful teasing, which Reijirou took to be a good sign.

Most of the rest of the students ate on their own. Remy and Kenji once again sat at tables alone and ate in silence. Gorou, Haruto, and Akiko simply grabbed something portable from the kitchen and exited the mess hall without acknowledging anyone. Ikeda began to do the same, but Karen waved to him from her table.

"Oh, Ikeda, would you like to sit down?" she asked, "I thought we could...palaver some books we've read or—"

"Well firstly," Ikeda interrupted, "Do you realize that palaver means to talk profusely, which you tend to do despite not even knowing what the words you use even mean? Secondly, I have no interest in talking with someone about something they clearly only try to like in an attempt to sound smart. And thirdly, I'm not even all that interested in literature; try talking to Miss Writer." Before Karen could reply or Reijirou could intervene, Ikeda walked out of the mess hall.

Karen stared after him in absolute horror. Her face turned as red as a tomato, and her hands clenched into shaking fists at her sides.

Rika, who had seen the exchange from the door to the kitchen, walked over to Karen. "I think you're smart Karen! I'll talk to you about books, even though I haven't read many!"

Quickly Rika tried to grab Karen's hand, but Karen wrenched her hands away. "Stop that! I...I just want to be left alone."

"But you seem sad!" Rika said, frowning.

Karen groaned and said, "I know, and when  _I'm_ sad I need some time for myself." She wiped at her slightly teary eyes and quietly left the room.

In the end, Rika joined Shiori's table for breakfast, but now the mood was somber. After a while everyone had drifted out. Once everyone had gone, Reijirou went back to his office and wrote out some proper notes about his talk with Kashie, as well as his suspicions about Isao and the scene with Ikeda, Karen, and Rika. Looking back at his plan, he read the next step. 'Number eight: If you have any immediate behavior problem that needs addressing, call relevant student for a meeting. If not, announce a period for walk-in time.' While Ikeda's attitude towards Karen concerned him, the interrogator was a can of worms he was not quite ready to open. So instead he made the announcement.

When he finished that, he sat down and cracked his knuckles. "Alright then, time for number nine: use the free time until lunch to work on a possible order for the talent show." Returning to the talent show sheet, he started in on the work.

* * *

In the end, no one came for sessions, but Reijirou finished an order for the talent show he felt would give good variety, and ensured no one went directly after a talent they were likely to feel too upstaged by. He also left some time at the end in case more people had asked Shiori to be in the show since yesterday.

He grabbed one of the sandwiches from yesterday and went back to the office. His plan was to enact the next step on his schedule, but when he returned, he found Seihiko waiting, idly using his yo-yo as he sat on the couch.

"Oh hey!" Reijirou said, quickly pushing all of the papers covering his desk and sliding into his chair, "What's up Seihiko?"

"Hi! So uh, I wanted to talk about the talent show?" Seihiko flicked his yo-yo back up and caught it quickly. He swiftly moved to the chair, sitting up very straight with his hands in his lap. "I just have some concerns about how it'll go."

Reijirou paused for a moment.  _Considering he came to me, I'm not sure if the concerns are just about the procedure or if there's something deeper...And I haven't noticed too many issues with Seihiko, besides being a bit shy perhaps._ After the short moment of pondering, he said, "Of course. I'd be happy to hear what you have to say."

* * *

SEIHIKO: Well uh, I don't know if Shiori mentioned it to you, but she said that the talent show wasn't going to be a competition?

REIJIROU: She did. And that's still the plan as far as I'm concerned.

SEIHIKO: See, I thought so, but uh...Take is still acting like it will be? Like, he's bragging about how he's gonna win, or steal the prize if he doesn't?

REIJIROU:  _Wait, really? I know he's a bandit, but is he also a kleptomaniac?_

SEIHIKO: And I'm worried that his attitude is gonna cause problems?

REIJIROU: Well, thanks for giving me a heads up. I'll keep that in mind while I'm setting up the show. But I am wondering…

**_[What made you decide it was up to you to fix it?]_ **

[Is Take's behavior really your business?]

[Is there some secret insecurity your hiding that made you ask me?]

REIJIROU: Why did you bring this issue to me? I'm pretty sure if something ended up happening I would have handled it even if I hadn't known ahead of time. Just trying to be helpful?

SEIHIKO: I mean...basically? I don't want him to take something that's supposed to be fun and make it all about winning…

REIJIROU: Alright, I get that. In this context a contest definitely wouldn't have been appropriate. But you do competitions for your yo-yoing, right? So you know that competitions can be fun too.

SEIHIKO: Sure, sure! Competitions are definitely fun for me! I get to try out new tricks and routines and get feedback on them. They're great!

REIJIROU:  _Woah, slow down! Seems like he's gotten nervous._

REIJIROU: ...Do I sense a 'but' coming?

SEIHIKO: Um...well, but not everyone sees competition that way...People can get too competitive, forget to be creative and get caught up in just...tearing other people down.

REIJIROU:  _Okay okay okay, what was that? It feels like there's a story there, and it's bad._

REIJIROU: ...Seihiko, do you deal with people like that a lot? Like, on a personal basis.

SEIHIKO: Uh, not really? I mean, there's almost always one person like that at a competition, but I just ignore them! Anyway, thanks for the reassurance, Mr. Saiki!

* * *

Before Reijirou could press him any further, Seihiko jumped up from his chair and left the office, forgetting to close the door behind him. Reijirou ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Okay...Seihiko, does  _not_ do well with direct questions, at least about his talent." He began to write down some notes, but then he paused. "Or maybe it was more to do with his past? Ugh, of course it's not obvious…"

Either way, he finished his notes as he finished his forgotten sandwich, then went back to his plan. "So then...number ten: when finished with afternoon work, announce a meeting for everyone planning to participate in the talent show to discuss the order and other logistics. Maybe help with some preliminary set up?" He wasn't sure how long it would take to help Hideyo set up her backdrop, but he wanted that done today rather than tomorrow so they could have time to fix it if something happened because they set it up wrong.

Clearing up his papers, Reijirou made the announcement. Overall, he felt the day was going well; despite the motive Monokuma set up yesterday, and a few smaller personal problems he was just beginning to catch onto, no major conflicts had come up. If the group could hold on a bit longer and continued to grow closer at the rate they were, or even faster, they would be able to resist Monokuma long enough to be rescued.  _Don't get cocky,_ he chided himself,  _There's still a lot that could go wrong...But still, we could be so much worse._


	6. Chapter 1 (part 3)

Shiori swung her feet nervously as she waited for the talent show meeting Mr. Saiki just called to properly begin. After Monokuma's presentation of the motive yesterday she'd been antsy; that evening she had been so distressed she went to bed early, only to lay awake before crashing into a restless and dreamless sleep. That morning she had finally taken some quiet time to recover. By now, she felt mostly herself again.  _But I'll be much better when all of this is over,_ she thought,  _And we won't have that motive or Monokuma hanging over our heads._

Shiori glanced over at the other students who'd shown up. Hideyo sat beside her, painting some final touches onto her backdrop. Isao leaned against one wall while Remy stood beside him, fiddling with his camera. Take, Homura, and Seihiko sat at the other table. Rika sat on a stool petting her stuffed bear. Even Kashie had come, although she stood by the door, seemingly eager to make a quick exit if need be.

Finally, Mr. Saiki finished sorting through his papers. "Okay then, now let's begin. I have made a program for the performance, so we know what order the acts will be in. But really quick, Shiori, did anyone else tell you they had an act they wanted to do?"

"Uh, no," Shiori replied, "I mean, Akiko is sort of a...maybe? But no, no one else wants to perform."

Remy raised his hand. "I'm just gonna take pictures...usually I don't do people...but this time I will. And I'll print them later...It'll have to be on normal paper; this place doesn't have proper photo paper." Having said his piece, Remy lowered his hand and returned to his camera.

Hideyo giggled a bit at that. "Tee hee hee! Well that's good! I can sketch pretty fast, but not fast enough to get anything I could then paint. But the backdrop is just about done, yes yes!"

Mr. Saiki nodded. "Alright then! So, the order for the show will be Rika, Seihiko, Homura, Isao, Shiori, Take, and then Akiko last, if she comes."

"Yay! I'm first!" cheered Rika.

 _Good thing too,_ thought Shiori,  _I don't know how long she'd be able to wait without getting impatient._

Take leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. "Good thinking putting me last; no one would want to have to follow up my amazing talent."

"Sure, sure," said Homura, giving him a playful jab, "Have fun waiting through everyone else's performances. Going in the middle is totally the best, 'cause then you don't have to worry about not being prepared, but you also don't have time to work yourself up."

"Ah, but if you're the middle, the judges won't even remember you," Take said, leaning back in and then turning to Seihiko, "Ain't that right, buddy?"

Seihiko cleared his throat. "Uh, technically that's sometimes true, but—"

"As we have previously established, this is not going to a competition," Mr. Saiki continued, giving Take a pointed look. "It's more of a showcase, a chance for us to share, not compete."

Take frowned for a second, seeming perhaps displeased, but then he shrugged. "Right, of course it's not  _really_ a competition…but people'll still rank us in their minds; it's just human nature to compare things. You'd know that, as a psychologist or whatever?"

"I thought he was a counselor..." Rika mumbled to herself.

"Hmm, but comparison is gonna be tricky when we have acts as varied as ours." Mr. Saiki recollected himself, turning back to his papers, "Anyway, moving on, tomorrow after dinner I will start setting up the mess hall so we have some chairs in rows. Everyone is welcome to come help with that." A round of nodding passed through the room. "Alright, so for the show itself you should head backstage during the act before yours so Kashie can introduce you quickly, and when you're done you can return to the audience."

"Oh! Should we have someone backstage in case something happens with the curtain or the backdrop?" Hideyo asked, "I could do that!"

Shiori smiled a bit and nudged her friend. "Is that so you can be closer to your precious painting?" she asked.

Hideyo gave an over the top gasp. "Shiori! Are you implying I am overprotective of my artwork?"

Isao, now in on the joke, said, "Well, you didn't want anyone touching your flower painting before."

"Ah! But that one's not finished! Once my piece is finished, I can release it out into the world!" Still, Hideyo laughed and continued, "Honestly, I've just always thought it might be interesting to work in a theater; it's a very different kind of painting, but a lot of people make a living out of it."

"Maybe you can come and paint my school's ballet sets once we're out of here," said Isao.

Shiori bit her lip as a small stab of jealousy pierced her stomach.  _No, don't be dumb Shiori; it's fine for Isao to say nice things to people that aren't you, especially since Hideyo is our friend._ Still, she found herself blushing.

"Yes, Hideyo, I think it would be good to have someone else backstage with Kashie," said Mr. Saiki, bringing the conversation back on topic, "Since the curtain is fairly easy to open and close, Hideyo can handle opening it at the beginning of the show and closing it at the end. Just make sure Kashie is ready."

"Uh...sure!" Hideyo turned to Kashie. "I'll be extra careful with the curtain. We'll be a good team." Kashie frowned. Shiori recalled that morning when Hideyo accidentally made a dent in one cabinet with the handle of another when she threw it open too hard. Kashie had seen it. Carefully, Shiori gave Kashie a thumbs up from behind Hideyo.  _It'll be okay; the curtain won't hurt you, even if she closes it on you._ Kashie, still a bit cautious, gave a slow nod.

"When exactly will the show begin?" asked Homura Mr. Saiki, "I wanna just make sure I'm not late or anything."

"Oh yes yes!" Hideyo added, "I'll probably want an extra reminder tomorrow too, if that's possible?" Rika, looking up from her bear, nodded vigorously in agreement.

"How about 7:00, so we can start at 8:00?" Mr. Saiki answered, "Although you're free to come earlier. I think the whole show shouldn't be too long, so we'll be out of the mess hall before nighttime."

"Thanks so much for planning all this, Mr. Saiki," said Shiori.

Mr. Saiki waved his hand dismissively. "It's no problem. And it was thanks to you and Hideyo that we're doing this at all." He gave a quick glance to his papers, then back up at the students. "That's actually all I needed to say to everyone. I know you'll all be wonderful tomorrow, so...meeting adjourned."

With that everyone began wandering out of the art center. Eventually only Shiori, Hideyo, and Isao were left. Hideyo went over to the shelf where she'd left her flower and removed it. "I wish I could work on my flower painting more, but the light isn't right anymore now that it's so late in the afternoon. At least now I know the white bits on the ends of the petals are just coloration and not some weird plant disease; I thought I'd accidentally picked a flower that was dying."

Shiori cocked her head. "How'd you find that out? Are there plant books in the nature center?"

"No, actually," Hideyo said, "I went and talked to Kenji about it; Mr. Saiki suggested it, sorta, when I told him I like plants. It was super awkward at first, but once I told Kenji I wanted advice about my flower he started to open up more...He's still really quiet, but at least he wasn't being a jerk like before."

Isao hummed in surprise. "Strange. He seems to vacillate between wanting to be alone and seeking company."

"I know…" Shiori pondered, "Like, on the first day it seemed like he wanted to talk to Mr. Saiki, but got too scared." Suddenly she stood from her chair. "Hideyo! Where did you find Kenji earlier?"

"Uh, behind the nature center," Hideyo replied, "He's cleared some of the grass back there for a garden."

"Thank you!" called Shiori as she went to the door.

"What are you planning to do?" asked Isao, a small smile on his face.

Shiori turned back to her friends. "Some calm but enthusiastic friending!" Then she left the art center. As soon as she rounded the corner of the art center she saw one corner of the makeshift garden. When she got closer she saw that it was mostly full of the living plant samples from the nature center, having been transferred out of their pots.

However, the far end of the garden was just bare dirt, and it was at that end that Shiori found Kenji. He carefully watered the ground, a serene look on his face. Unwilling to disrupt the gentle scene too abruptly, she slowly walked around the plot to catch his eye.

Finally Kenji spotted her, taking a startled step back. "What? What are you doing here?"

Shiori raised her hands in a calming gesture. "Hideyo told me you'd started a garden, so I wanted to see it. Do you mind if I look around?"

Kenji relaxed, but only a fraction. Returning to his watering he said, "Sure...just, don't step on anything."

* * *

_Carefully Shiori examined the garden, navigating mostly around its edge as Kenji continued to water the plants._

SHIORI: Wow, you did I nice job of setting this up. All the flowers in one section, then the vegetables and herbs in another. It's so organized!

KENJI: ...Well, that's...just sort of standard...Oh!

SHIORI: What is it?

KENJI: Look, a butterfly found the lavender.

_He slowly moved his gloved hand closer to the butterfly. The two watched as the butterfly crawled onto his hand._

SHIORI: Woah…

KENJI: This is a good sign. I hope it likes the other flowers; there isn't much variety, but I haven't seen many wild flowers on the island.

SHIORI:  _He's so gentle with it...like this, he seems so different from when he told me to leave him alone before..._

[Butterflies are the only bugs I can stand.]

[You're really just a softie aren't you?]

_[What'll happen when more bugs come?]_

SHIORI: I know butterflies are good for flowers, but what about other bugs? I wouldn't want some weird beetles to eat everything.

KENJI: If they do, then they do. It's a natural part of things. Sure, if there were an outbreak of something I'd wanna tend to it, but if some leaves get chewed up then that's just part of the cycle of things.

SHIORI: Huh, I hadn't thought of it like that. Guess I'm too used to thinking of gardeners as militant old ladies who shake their rakes at you for stepping on their hydrangeas.

KENJI: ...Unfortunately there are far too many gardeners who are exactly like that. I ran into them all the time when I did garden competitions—

SHIORI: You do competitions? That's awesome! I bet you've won awesome prizes and—

KENJI: I don't...do competitions...anymore.

_Kenji placed the butterfly back on the lavender and picked up his watering can, ignoring Shiori as he continued his work._

SHIORI:  _And now he's withdrawn again...for a second there he was so alive! Still, I'd call that progress!_

* * *

After an awkward silence, Shiori finally saw all of the plants in the garden, and Kenji finished his watering. Placing down his watering can, Kenji gave her a strange, tense look. Shiori coughed. "Uh...The talent show is gonna be at 8:00 tomorrow, if you wanna come. So...bye!" Quickly she turned and walked away back towards the mess hall to grab dinner.

Once Shiori was out of sight of Kenji, she pumped her hands in the air. "Yes! Successful one on one interaction where he didn't tell me to go away...Wow that sounds less impressive now that I'm saying out loud." Still, she smiled at her triumph.  _We can do this! Even less social people can start becoming friends, and friendship will defeat Monokuma!_

A moment after she had that thought, Shiori groaned. "Oh my god, did I actually just invoke the power of friendship trope in my head? Geez that sounded so cheesy even just thinking it…" She shook her head.

Once she reached the mess hall Shiori snatched one of the premade bentos and walked back out, as no one was there to talk to. Honestly, that suited her; she wanted to spend some time reading over her story to make sure she hadn't made any major errors, and to practice reading it out loud.

Making her way back towards the cabins, she found a comfortable spot to lean up against a tree, opened the bento, and began reading over her story. She felt quiet proud of it; it was a simple story of a lady knight who trying to save a prince trapped in a dungeon, but who kept having to deal with a mischievous spirit along the way. In the end, it turns out the spirit was sent by the prince to test the knight, and the three decide to continue adventuring together. However, as she was reading it, something about the characters seemed...familiar. "Wait!" Shiori said, dropping the now mostly finished bento, "These guys are just the main trio from  _Heaven's Summer Love_!"

 _Heaven's Summer Love_ was a manga she read back in middle school. It was about a girl who made a wish for a summer romance and two very hot god boys decided to grant her wish; she honestly hadn't thought about it in a few years, but it was the first thing she ever wrote fanfiction for.

Shiori covered her now beet red face and softly shrieked into her hands. "Why am I such a geek…? I wasn't even trying to...Gah!" After a few more minutes of stewing in embarrassment, she finally calmed down enough to actually think.

 _Well..._ she thought as she looked over the story again,  _They aren't exactly the same, especially in this new context...and it's not super likely that anyone else will notice. Maybe it'll be fine. Yeah! It's fine! They're just...inspired by those characters! Inspiration is fine, and totally not fanfiction!_

Shiori quickly found the biggest problem her realization caused was that now she could barely read the story out loud without laughing. It ended up taking until nightfall, but eventually she could get from beginning to end with no giggling.

Finally satisfied with her reading, she picked up the empty bento box and stood up. However, before she could go back to her cabin, she heard a muffled sound that seemed to come from behind the boys shower building. Shiori bit her lip, but undaunted she crept slowly towards the noise. Only as she rounded the corner did she realize the noise was crying, and by then it was too late; she now stood in front of a teary eyed Haruto, clutching some sort of book to his chest.

Immediately Haruto jumped up. "What are you doing here!? Get lost, you...peasant!"

Shiori quickly took a step back. "I just heard—"

"You heard nothing!" he interrupted, "And I don't want your weird pity friendship! I know you think I'm incompetent; you all do!"

She shook her head. "No, Haruto please—"

"Save it! I don't need the approval for you talentless lot anyway. I know I'm ready to an Ultimate; I've won competitions, I was supposed to get into a school for the gifted!" Haruto tightened his grip on his book, slightly bending the paper cover. "The entrance exam was just rigged...it had to be! I know my talent is enough! I'm getting out of here, and I'm proving I'm the one here who deserves to be called an Ultimate. Not you, not anyone else! Me!" With that declaration he stormed past her, anger still radiating off of him in waves.

For a few minutes, Shiori could not move, the shock of Haruto's outburst freezing her to one spot. Once she could finally move, (and breath), again, she quickly returned to her cabin. Karen was already in bed, although she didn't seem to be asleep. Homura sat up in her bed fiddling with was looked like a slingshot. She looked up when Shiori entered the cabin. "You okay?"

"Yeah, uh…" Shiori didn't know how to breach this topic, so she just said, "It's just been a long day." Hoping Homura would catch the hint that she wanted some quiet, she began changing into her night clothes.

Unfortunately Homura did not. "Man, if today seemed long, I bet tomorrow's gonna take forever! I mean like, I'm already so pumped for the talent show thing. I've got it all planned out, and I even made a target I'm gonna use and—"

Shiori was about to stop Homura, but Karen beat her to it. "Will you please keep it down?" She emphasized her statement with a kick to one of the bunk bed posts. "I want to get some...raptimonious sleep."

"You mean rapturous…?" Shiori mumbled as she finally got under the covers.

"...Yes, that…" came Karen's soft reply, but Shiori was already asleep.

* * *

Shiori woke up to someone shaking her awake. When she opened her eyes, she saw Homura, already dressed and bouncing with excitement. "Good morning! Today's the day! The talent show! I mean, unless we get found before the show starts, but like, at this point we might be able to convince the rescue people to let us use the stage here, just for a bit? 'Cause I mean, they'll have take out Monokuma and stuff but then it'll be safe here. Hey wait, rescue people have guns, right? Oh gosh, maybe one of them will let me borrow theirs and I can do an actual demonstration instead of the dinky slingshot one I have planned and—"

Kokoa's foot came down from the bunk above Shiori and hit Homura over the head. "Be quiet. I'm used to getting up at the crack of dawn but I need it to be quiet!"

Homura rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Gosh! I'm like, super sorry. I'll just head out then." She disappeared from Shiori's view.

Still, once Shiori was up, she could never get back to sleep, so she slowly got up from bed. She ended up having to dance around Kokoa as they both ready for the day. It seemed clear to Shiori that Kokoa had a set morning routine already and was not used to having another person up at the same time, as they bumped into each other multiple times. In the end they both ended up clean and walking out of their cabin right as the morning announcement played.

"Ugh," Kokoa sighed, "I'm late. Of course..."

"Oh, uh, you like trying to get into the kitchen right when the mess hall opens, right?" said Shiori, "Sorry if uh, that was my fault."

Kokoa paused for a second, then said, "You'll just have to make it up to me later." She walked away towards the mess hall through the slightly cool morning air.

For a while, Shiori stood around awkwardly waiting for Hideyo and Isao, but then something occurred to her.  _I'm up earlier than usual, so I can actually be the one to get them from their cabins, instead of the other way around!_ With that in mind, she went over to the other girl's cabin first.

She gave the door three quick knocks, and was quickly met by Hideyo, still in her pajamas. "Oh, hey Shiori!" she said, "I got a bit of a late start today, do you mind waiting? It's a little—"

From behind Hideyo, Shiori could see Akiko holding up Rika's stuffed bear high over her head, with Rika jumping up uselessly to reach it and Kashie watching the scene in horror. "Ah, come on Bunny!" Akiko said to Rika, "Get your little friend! Don't hold back!"

Rika suddenly smiled. "Okay!" In a flash Rika jumped onto Akiko and climbed up onto her shoulders even as Akiko thrashed back and forth.

"Jesus Christ, I shoulda called you Monkey!" Akiko said, trying to pull the smaller girl off. But Rika's grip with her legs under Akiko's armpits was strong.

Kashie wrung her hands. "Oh, oh gosh— can, can you please, please be— be more careful?!"

Just then Rika grabbed the bear. "Got it!" With that she leaned backwards over Akiko's back, placed her free hand on the ground, and swung her legs off to land in a crouch behind Akiko. Then she jumped back up, hugging her bear as she declared, "I win!"

Akiko stared at her. "What...the actual fuck are you?"

"I'm a gladiator!" Rika replied.

Akiko just shook her head. Finally, she noticed Shiori in the doorway. "Oh hey Bubbly! Just the person I wanted to see. We need to talk." Before anyone else could say a word, she and Shiori were out the door and around the corner of the cabin.

Shiori blinked, but quickly readjusted. "So, uh, Akiko…"

Akiko turned to her, her face serious. "Since we're still here, obviously I didn't find a way out yet." Then she smiled brightly. "So that's means I'm in the talent show! Yeah baby!"

Shiori perked up. "Oh gosh, right! Oh that's awesome! We uh, planned out the order yesterday, but we left a spot for you; you'll be the finale!"

"Good choice," Akiko said, flipping her ponytail, "I'll give us a proper show stopper!"

Suddenly a thought occurred to Shiori and she stopped bouncing up and down in excitement. "Wait, do you have drums to play? I mean, I haven't seen any around."

Akiko shrugged. "All I really need is some kinda big bucket thing. 'Long as it's plastic and the sides aren't too thick I can make it work."

"Maybe there's something like that in the art center?" Shiori pondered, "I mean, it also has tons of craft stuff too, so you could use those in a pinch?"  _Hopefully Hideyo's stuff is out of the way so we don't mess it up._

Akiko's face lit up again. "Perfect! Let's go."

"Ah, wait!" But Akiko had already grabbed her arm and was dragging her to the art center.

* * *

_Before she knew it, Shiori stood in the art center's supply room with Akiko, who immediately snatched up a large empty plastic paint bucket._

AKIKO: Yeah, buddy! This'll be just fine. Now we just need some drum sticks…

SHIORI: Uh, would these wooden dowel rods work?

AKIKO: Hmm, a little flimsy, but they'll do! Man though...look at all this crap. I bet we could plan some epic pranks with this stuff.

SHIORI: Oh! You like pranks?

AKIKO: Bubbly, pranks are basically the shit. You get to make someone look dumb, or scare them, but it's still chill, 'cause no one gets hurt.

SHIORI: Oh good. I'm not so into dangerous pranks.

AKIKO: Eh, once it gets dangerous it's not really a prank, per say...Have you ever done pranks?

SHIORI: Uh…

[Nope! I can never think of one.]

_[I helped with a club prank once.]_

[Does a surprise birthday party count?]

SHIORI: Once I helped my literary magazine play a prank on our advisor; one day we suddenly started quoting the opening scene from Romeo and Juliet and played the whole thing out with cardboard swords and everything. We even color coordinated our outfits for which side we were on. He thought it was hilarious!

AKIKO: Heh, that ain't too bad I guess, but that's one hundred percent just the kind of stuff you do to people you like. Hard core pranks are for people you wanna piss off, but can't actively beat up.

SHIORI: Oh, sorta like trolling online, but in real life?

AKIKO: Yeah, you get it! For example, say we took some of this here spray paint, and graffitied something to piss off Monokuma. Like him singing kumbaya and holding our hands or something.

SHIORI: Haha, yeah that would definitely make him mad. But would that count are damaging camp property?

AKIKO: Ah see, another important part of pranks is finding loopholes; it's not damaging, it's creating public art!

SHIORI:  _I'm not sure if he would accept that excuse, but at least it's not directly breaking a rule like she was trying to do before._

* * *

Suddenly, Shiori realized she'd left Hideyo back at the cabin without saying anything. Taking a step back, she changed the subject. "Well Akiko, I'm glad we could find you something to use as a drum! And uh, the show is gonna be at 8:00 tonight, so try and get to the mess hall at around 7:00 for set up and all that."

Akiko gave a quick thumbs up. "No problem! Say, I'm hungry, so why don't we grab some breakfast?"

"I was actually just about to suggest that," said Shiori. She smiled as the two of them walked over to the dining hall.  _I'm glad to see that she's less angry right now. I guess the chance to show off her talent is cheering her up._

When they entered the dining hall, Shiori saw that almost all of the students had gathered that morning; the only people absent were Haruto and Gorou. Even Kashie was sitting awkwardly at a table with Remy and Kenji.  _I guess it's the table for quiet people who'd rather not talk over food,_ she thought. Hideyo and Isao sat at their usual table, but Rika and Karen joined them. The only people who were alone were Ikeda, who leaned against the wall near the kitchen door eating an apple, and Mr. Saiki, who wandered between the tables pouring cups of hot chocolate.

"Who's pumped for our show tonight!?" shouted Akiko as they entered, "'Cause guess what? I'm gonna be your grand finale, so I better see all of you there!" Rika and Homura gave a quick cheer, and Take gave a small smirk. Ikeda remained expressionless, but he bit into his apple as he watched the group carefully.

Akiko went over to the kitchen, while Shiori went over to Hideyo. "Hey Hideyo! Can I talk to you real quick? It'll only take a minute."

Hideyo got up from her chair. "Sure, Shiori!" Once the two girls were around the corner of the stage, away from everyone, she asked, "So what is it? I hope it's not serious."

"It kind of is?" Shiori quickly relayed her run in with Haruto the night before. It felt good to finally tell someone. The whole incident had left her shaken, but now that she'd given it some time, she felt like she wanted to deal with this.

Hideyo listened attentively. "That sounds awful! You should really tell Mr. Saiki about that; it sounds like Haruto needs some serious help."

"Yeah, I know, and I'm going to. I just...it's different talking about something like this to a teacher, or...whatever Mr. Saiki is. Hideyo I…" Shiori gulped. "...I was so scared. I've never had someone yell at me like that before. Before, even with Gorou or Akiko's outbursts, it was never just directed at me. I felt like he might…" She shook her head.  _No, he wouldn't. Even if he was really mad last night, it no one would go that far…_ She continued, "I just wanted a chance to gather my thoughts, before I have to tell Mr. Saiki. And I guess to warn you, sort of? Just, I don't know where Haruto goes all day but if you run into him just be careful, I guess?"

Hideyo nodded. "I got it. And...thanks for coming to me with this. It's nice to know...you think of me as someone you can talk to."

"Of course!" Shiori said, "Honestly, you're my closest friend here."

Hideyo slowly smirked. "Oh, and what about Isao, hmm?" She elbowed Shiori playfully. "If I'm your closest friend, than what is he?"

Shiori immediately began to blush. "Oh my god, he's just a friend. I feel close to him too, but it'd be...weird, to talk to him about this…"

"And it's not weird to spend hours hanging out with him watching him practice dancing?" Hideyo giggled. "Tee hee hee! Don't worry, I get you, and your secret's safe with me!"

Shiori's mind went blank. "Ah, wait, no, Hideyo—"

"Come one!" Hideyo linked her arm in Shiori's. "Let's get back to breakfast."

* * *

The rest of the day past in a blur; first breakfast, then helping Hideyo lay out the backdrop on the grass to check for missed spots and add more detail, then helping Isao work the timing of his routine without music, then lunch, then going over her story out loud again and again until she could say it in her sleep, and then finally crashing in her cabin for a nap.

When Shiori woke up from her nap she checked her Monopad for the time: 6:30.  _Might as well head over to the mess hall now. Get food and start setting up all at once._

As she walked over she heard Mr. Saiki over the intercom. "Hey everybody! Just as a reminder, the talent show will be tonight at 8:00. Please come to support your friends as they share their talents with us!"

Quickly Shiori got back to the mess hall and entered. Immediately she was met with a surprising sight. Kokoa stood over a long half set up folding table, struggling to pull the other leg out.

Shiori walked over. "Oh! Want some help?"

Kokoa glanced up at her, then shrugged. "Sure. It's stubborn as heck though."

With a few more heaves and kicks to the stubborn joins in the metal, the two finally got the second set of legs unfolded. As they moved to each end of the table to set it on it's legs, Shiori asked, "What's this for? We have plenty of normal tables."

"But for the show you're gonna put them all away, right?" Once the table was steady, Kokoa wiped her hands on her apron. "Besides, I need the room to set up everything correctly."

Shiori perked up. "Oh! Are you gonna have chocolates out for the show?"

"Figured I might as well. People always eat refreshments. I can finally get some feedback on my new recipe." Kokoa turned to go back into the kitchen, then paused. "You can help me bring out the trays. Then we'll be even for making me late this morning."

Blushing, Shiori said, "Right. I'm still sorry about that!"

Kokoa shrugged again and went into the kitchen. Shiori followed as Kokoa went past the main refrigerator over to the larger freezer in the back of the kitchen and opened it. Inside Shiori saw shelves and shelves of frozen foods.  _Enough for months..._ she realized with a shiver. Or perhaps that was just the cold. Kokoa stopped and reached up to a cookie sheet set on top of various canned goods and brought it carefully. "Get the other one next to it, okay?" she said over her shoulder as she navigated back out of the freezer.

Unfortunately, because Shiori was quite a bit shorter than Kokoa, what was a slight reach for the chocolatier she could only just touch with her finger tips. She went for the sides of the tray, carefully inching it forward, but when she tried to actually lift it down she found it heavier than she expected. For a split second it seemed that the tray would come crashing down, but then she felt the weight of the tray suddenly lessen.

Shiori looked up and saw Mr. Saiki holding the edge of the tray. "Careful there! How about I get this one?" He carefully got a second grip on the tray and brought it down.

"Oh gosh, thanks! Honestly, I think if I'd have dropped her chocolates Kokoa would have kill—" The word died in her throat when she realized the possible implications of what she was about to say. For a few more awkward seconds she just stood there, then she swiftly dunked around Mr. Saiki and left the freezer.

Back in the mess hall she saw that Remy had arrived and was calmly holding the other tray while Kokoa placed her chocolate creations neatly on a serving platter. He gave Shiori a slight nod as she entered.

"Here's the rest!" said Mr. Saiki as he came up behind her. Shiori shuffled her feet, embarrassed that she's been unable to complete her task, but Mr. Saiki didn't seem to notice. "Where should I put these, Kokoa?"

"On the end of the table is fine," Kokoa replied.

Determined to actually start helping, Shiori began moving the circle tables towards the walls so they'd be out of the way of where the chairs for the audience would go. Thankfully the tables were not heavy, so she could drag them fairly easily, but they did make a screeching noise as she moved them aside. After a while, Remy wandered over, having finished his previous duty, and helped her move the tables a side by lifting instead of dragging.

At first Shiori didn't really know what to say to Remy; he was never the sort to initiate casual conversation, and besides photography and animals Shiori couldn't think of any topics beyond the immediate situation. In the end she asked, "Did you find a place to print out photos?"

"Yep," said Remy, then after a pause he added, "There was an old printer in one of the cabinets in the health center. It had been unplugged and put away... but it still has ink."

"Oh man, that's awesome!" said Shiori, "It'll be nice to have momentos of the show."

There was another long silence before Remy said. "Isn't it weird...that the health center has a printer, and a desk... but no computer? Printing from a computer...would have been a lot easier…"

"That...actually is pretty weird, now that you mention it." Shiori pondered that as they continued to clear the tables. Unfortunately the only conclusion she could come to was that Monokuma simply didn't want anyone on the island to have access to a computer, but was okay with printing.  _Which is weird, because it's not like we could have used the computer to escape without internet, right? Whatever._

"...how are we setting up the chairs?" Remy suddenly asked. Shiori realized they had finally gotten all of the tables moved.

Mr. Saiki answered, "Some of us have been putting them in rows over here while you two were working!"

Shiori saw that Rika, Take, Seihiko, and Homura had arrived and were handling the chairs. Meanwhile, Hideyo and Mr. Saiki were up on the stage tying the backdrop to a long pole that had been lowered down from the cycling over the stage. Kashie stood in the center of the stage, flipping through some cue cards in her hands. Akiko was leaning on the table with the chocolates, munching on one while Kokoa watch her warily but attentively.

Shiori went over to Kokoa and asked, "How did the chocolates turn out?"

"Have one for yourself if you're curious," Kokoa said in reply. Akiko looked to Shiori and seemed to give a small shake of her head. Shiori paused, but took a chocolate anyway.

"Oh!" Shiori said in surprise as she tasted the chocolate, "The filling kind of tastes like lemon? I've never had chocolate and lemon…"  _And I'm not sure if I ever want to again! It kind of works, but geez it's so bitter._

Kokoa smiled ever so slightly and nodded at this response. Shiori quickly moved on and climbed up the stairs to the stage. "Need help with the backdrop?" she asked.

"Nope!" said Hideyo immediately, her voice a bit tense.  _Maybe she's nervous about the show._  "We got it, thanks! Isao's checking out the light board though, if you wanna help with that." The tone of Hideyo's voice seemed to scream 'Go talk to him!'

Shiori blushed, but went over. Isao turned to meet her. "I'm just trying to figure out which of these will give us full lights. I've worked back stage once or twice, and usually there's a preset for full lights, but I don't see any labels on here..."

"Hmm…" Poking around the light board she found a handwritten sheet taped to the wall, hidden slightly behind the curtain. "Here we go! It says that full stage is...this one!" She pressed the appropriate button and the stage became full of bright yellow light.

"Great job! I never would have spotted that." Isao smiled and held up his hand for a high five. Shiori returned it, grinning back.

A sudden whooshing noise drew both of their attention, and they turned to see Mr. Saiki at one side of the stage pulling on a rope which caused the pole with the backdrop tied to it to rise slowly, revealing the full extend of Hideyo's work. Shiori immediately clapped and gave a cheer.

"Alright, I think we're almost ready to start!" said Mr. Saiki, "Everyone go ahead and grab something quick to eat, we'll go over the order again, and then we'll be ready to start."

Everyone obliged him, snatching sandwiches or bentos from the kitchen, as well as sampling Kokoa's chocolates. While a few people made slight faces at the bitterness of the candy, only Rika said anything out loud. "These are really bitter!" she declared, sticking her tongue out.

Kokoa balked. "Are you really just gonna say that out loud?"

Rika looked puzzled. "But they are! I don't wanna lie. Oh! Just because they're bitter and I don't like bitter things that doesn't mean they're bad! I didn't mean to be uh...mean about it."

"It's fine," Kokoa huffed, flipping a bit of her hair over her shoulder, "Everyone's had them and I've at least gotten  _some_  feedback _,_ so I guess I'll be going. Have fun with your show." She stalked out of the mess hall, pushing past Kenji, who had just arrived, as she exited.

"Uh…" Kenji looked around the room at everyone as they stared at him, then quickly sat down in one of the seats in the back row.

Mr. Saiki waited a moment, then said, "Anyway! In case you don't know, the way back stage is around that way. " He pointed to the left side of room where a small hallway bordered the left side of the stage. "Remember the order of the show is Rika, Seihiko, Homura, Isao, Shiori, Take, Akiko, got it? How about Hideyo, Kashie, and the first two acts head backstage, and we get started?"

"Wait, what if the others are coming?" Shiori asked.  _Karen, Ikeda, Gorou, and Haruto...and Kokoa might come back! Maybe…_

"Nah," said Akiko, "If they wanna come they can just sneak in and sit in the back. It's not like this a freaking opera or some shit."

Shiori frowned, but conceded. "I guess so…"

Everyone made their way backstage or to the seats. "I'll get the lights," said Remy, flicking off the main lights before returning to a seat he had set for himself right at the back, to take pictures from.

With that done, it was finally time for the talent show to begin. Shiori bounced in her seat, unable to contain her excitement.  _It's actually happening! And people are getting along, mostly, and gosh I can't believe we made this happen!_

Slowly the curtain opened and Kashie stood in the center of the stage. With one last glance at her cue cards, she cleared her throat and said, "Good evening everyone! Welcome to the Talent Camp for Penultimate Students Talent Show!" Shiori almost gasped; Kashie sounded for more confident than usual, louder and with far less stammering. Her voice wavered occasionally, but overall she seemed prepared. "Tonight you will see a showcase of a wide variety of skills and talents! First, we have Rika Ohara, who will be demonstrating her...gladiator skills for us!" Kashie swiftly left the stage as Rika entered.

Rika waved. "Hello everyone! I'm the Pink Punisher, Atomic Rika!" She struck a dramatic pose. "Today I shall show you some of my favorite martial arts sets, since I can do those alone." She bowed, then began. Once again Shiori was struck by Rika's sheer skill and athleticism. Each jump, kick, roll, and punch moved seamlessly from one to the next, and by the end Rika seemed only barely out of breath. "Thank you!" she declared, and left the stage.

After a quick introduction from Kashie, Seihiko went next. He apologized for the lack of music, but went on to perform tricks with his yo-yo that Shiori hadn't even known were possible. She gave a big cheer as he exited, but saw from the corner of her eye that Take had a strangely stoney look on his face.

She was soon distracted by Homura entering the stage. Homura was attempting to drag what looked like one of the easels from the art center onto the stage, but she struggled with the weight. Kashie dashed out from backstage to help, but as the two fumbled with straightening out the three sides they dropped the easel with a loud thunk. "Ouch!" yelped Homura, quickly grabbing her foot. Kashie sputtered apologies as she finally set up the easel. "It's no big deal," Homura reassured her, then turned to the audience, "A squished toe is nothing compared to this!" She brandished her cast. "And a broken arm couldn't even stop me!"

Shiori giggled slightly, and watched as Homura set up a crudely drawn target made from a small canvas on the easel, then wiped out her slingshot and some pebbles. "Normally I'd have used a BB gun for this, but I make do! If you brute force it enough, you can get through it! Now let's get started!" Homura then proceeded to do various sorts of trick shots, first creating a circle around the bull's eye, then shooting from different parts of the stage and between her legs. For her finale, she shot over her shoulder backwards. It wasn't exactly a bull's eye, but Shiori still gave a standing ovation.

 _Isao's next, and then me,_ she thought as she made her way backstage. As she entered the backstage area she was immediately captivated by Isao as he began his dance. Even without music, his movements were so graceful but also so full of emotion that Shiori felt herself choke up. He seemed so at ease on stage, not at all nervous or defensive or anything.  _This is where be belongs...if anyone here should be an Ultimate, it's him…_

Suddenly she realized he had finished and Kashie was introducing her. Isao walked back her and whispered, "Break a leg! You'll be great!" She gulped, but walked out onto the stage with confidence.

"Hello! So, uh, I will be reading a story I wrote called 'The Knight and the Sly Spirit.'" She held up her Monopad so she could glance down at it to keep her place, and began. The whole story only took about ten minutes to read, but it felt like less as she felt herself get lost in what she's written, giving each character a voice and emoting as much as she could. When she finished she heard a few cheers amongst the applause. Beaming, she exited.

Once she was off stage Shiori gave a little jump of joy. She looked to Kashie and mouthed, 'they liked it!' Kashie gave small nod, then went on stage to announce the next act. She gave Take a thumbs up as he went on with Seihiko and Homura behind him.

As Shiori walked back around to the audience to take her seat, she saw that Ikeda had snuck into the show at some point, as he sat in one of the back rows of seats. In her pleasure at seeing him she almost shouted, but thankfully she remebered where she was and got back to her seat without disturbing Take's performance.

Because of her distraction she ended missing the beginning of Take's pick-pocketing demonstration, but she saw the final moments. "Now, all of this sleight of hand stuff is important," Take said, waving the bag of pebbles he must have swiped off Homura for emphasis, "But there is one more technique you've gotta know. So, you two stand together, and I'm gonna take Homura's slingshot."

Homura and Seihiko stood together, pretending to have a conversation, when Take tossed one of the pebbles past them, making a noise. When Homura turned to the noise, he slipped behind them and snatched the slingshot. "Distraction! It's the key to properly pickpocketing! But usually, just one distraction isn't enough so—" He suddenly held up his other hand, in which he held Seihiko's belt. "—try a few together!" Seihiko's face instantly went bright red and he grabbed the edge of his pants before they could fall. Thankfully his pants weren't very loose, but Shiori felt like Seihiko looked extremely uncomfortable.  _I feel like that bit wasn't in what they rehearsed…_

Before she could think on it more, however, the trio had left the stage to be replaced by Akiko. She'd brought out her drum and a small stool. "Alright, it's time for the grand fucking finale! Who's ready to jam!?" Akiko shouted.

Shiori gave a small 'whoo!' and Rika shouted, "I don't like jam, but okay!"

Akiko grinned slyly, twirled her makeshift drumsticks, and began. It started somewhat slow and straight forward, but gradually the rhythmic patterns became more complex and the tempo increased. Akiko's whole body rocked and swayed with her drumming, her face intense but ecstatic. She stood as she reached the climax, giving the drum one final hit and then raising her arms over her head triumphantly.

Everyone stood and cheered. Even Kenji, Remy, and Ikeda in the back stood up. Akiko gave a long, overdramatic bow, and left the stage.

Quickly Kashie came back out. "What a wonderfully finale! That concludes our talent show. Thank you all so much for coming, and have a great evening!" She waited for a few seconds for the curtain to close, but nothing happened.  _Uh-oh,_ Shiori thought,  _Is Hideyo having problems with the curtains?_ Kashie glanced anxiously off stage, and then suddenly the curtains began closing very quickly. Kashie jumped back slightly as they closed.

Shiori was about to head backstage to see what had happened, but Mr. Saiki began talking. "Okay everyone! That was amazing! Really, I am so proud of all of you. Since it's almost 9:00, I'd like us to really quickly put the chairs and tables back so we can be out of here before nighttime. Alright? Let's get to it!"

With everyone still pumped up from the show, putting everything back didn't end up taking too long. As they worked, Shiori made sure to congratulate everyone who performed. Unfortunately she didn't get to talk to Hideyo, who worked quietly and once she had finished putting a few of the tables away she excused herself, saying she felt a bit sick. Honestly, Shiori agreed; she looked pale and sweaty, even her kimono being slightly damp with it.  _I bet that's why she got distracted with the curtain at the end. Geez, I hope it's nothing too serious. I know we have some medicine here, but if it's really bad…_ She shook her head.  _Maybe the next group thing we should do is actually formally explore the wooded areas as a group. Maybe we'll find something that can help us escape._

About five minutes before nighttime they finished. As the others headed back towards the cabins, Shiori hung back. Isao stopped when he saw she wasn't moving. "What is it, Shiori?" he asked.

"Oh, I wanted to talk to Mr. Saiki about something real quick. It's no big deal; go on ahead."

"Alright," he said slowly, "Just be careful walking back, okay?"

She giggled. "I will, don't worry. I can handle walking in the dark."

As Isao left Shiori walked over to Mr. Saiki's office and knocked. "Come on in!" came Mr. Saiki's voice from inside, "I'll be with you in a second." True to his word, he entered the office from the other door only a few moments after she entered.

"This'll be really quick, Mr. Saiki," Shiori said, "Not a full talk or anything."

"Alright," Mr. Saiki replied, standing by his desk rather than sitting, "What is it?"

Shiori but her lip, then said, "Last night I had a run in with Haruto. He was really upset, and I think he might need some help. I don't know how receptive he'll be, but he definitely needs someone to talk to...I don't think he's managed to make any friends here, so I'm kind of worried."

Mr. Saiki nodded. "I've noticed, but thanks for telling me. Honestly, I've been thinking of ways to try to help him, as well as Ikeda and Gorou, who I've also mostly seen alone. I'll try to have something ready tomorrow."

"Okay," Shiori said, "Sorry I didn't bring it up sooner, but with the talent show and everything…"

"Don't worry; solving personal problems is my job, not yours. Now go along, it's getting kind of late."

Shiori raised her eyebrows at him. "This is normally when I go to bed, even at home. With homework and free time, this is almost early!"

Mr Saiki laughed and pointed out his door. "Well I need to get ready for bed too, so get!"

* * *

The next morning Shiori woke up with the morning announcement and got ready without too much fanfare, but she felt better than she had the last two days. The success of the talent show last night left her glowing with pride, and she practically buzzed with it as she met Hideyo and Isao.

"Morning!" Shiori said.

"Morning," Hideyo yawned. She looked much better than last night, though a bit tired.

"Glad you seem to be feeling better, Hideyo," Isao commented as they began to walk to the mess hall.

Suddenly, before Hideyo could reply, shrieking static erupted over the intercoms. Out of the static came the voice of Monokuma, and Shiori went cold. "Everyone! Please report to the flag circle immediately! Upupupu!"

The three only took a second to glance at each other before they took off running.  _Oh god, what now? Another motive? He is gonna punish us for having the talent show?_ Shiori kept running even as her lungs began to burn, and in only a few minutes she arrived at the flag circle. The sight she saw in front of her left her mind reeling, her perception of what was and wasn't possible completely shattered forever.

* * *

_Kokoa and Ikeda stood to one side supporting Mr. Saiki, who looked like he was about to faint. All three stared up at the flagpole._

__

_A dark, horrible shape swung dully back and forth at the top of the pole. What skin was visible looked modeled with purple and blue, and the limbs hung limply; one arm looked broken, the break jutting out at an odd angle. Dark red blood covered the face and matted the red hair, dripping down and creating a pool on the ground. Even with the face beaten and covered in blood, he was still recognizable._

_Haruto Hanko, the Penultimate Puzzle Master, hung at the top of the flagpole, clearly and irrefutably dead._


	7. Chapter 1 (part 4)

While Reijirou managed to keep himself conscious faced with the corpse of one of the students,  _his_  students, he could not control his stomach. Breaking out of the grip of Kokoa and Ikeda, he ran to the nearest patch of grass and vomited. For a few minutes he simply breathed, brain pulling him back and forth between facing the other students and having a full on guilt ridden break down. Because there is a part of him screaming  _I let this happen; if I'd been more proactive, if I'd sought Haruto out sooner, if I'd insisted on more safety measures, if—_

His internal struggle is broken by a high, desperate scream. Reijirou turns to see that the rest of students had arrived, but more importantly, Rika was on the ground, scrambling backwards away from the flagpole. He rushed over, kneeling by her side but not touching her yet.

"No, no, no," she mumbled over and over even as she was hyperventilating, "No, I didn't, I don't, I'm, I'm sorry I—"

"Rika, you need to breathe," Reijirou said in his softest, most calming voice.

Rika shook her head. "I, I can't, I—" Suddenly her eyes rolled back into her head. Reijirou quickly caught her as she fainted. He carefully lowered her to the ground, then got back up to assess the rest of the students.

Everyone was in various flavors of shock, horror, or both. Shiori seemed dazed, frozen in place. Kokoa looked ready to faint herself, but Ikeda held her up. Ikeda himself meanwhile simply looked on, his mouth a hard, tense line. Hideyo played anxiously with the edges of her sleeves and bit her lip. Isao blinked rapidly, glancing from the corpse to the other students and back, eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. Gorou simply stood frozen, his fists clenched at his sides. Kashie leaned heavily against the wall of the health center, wiping her mouth as if she'd also just vomited. Take stood wide eyed, while next to him Homura tried to comfort a shaking Seihiko even as tears trailed down her cheeks. Remy gripped his camera so hard it might break, and beside him Kenji cried and sniffled. Karen crossed her arms protectively over her chest. Akiko's mouth had settled into an angry frown, but she held herself strong.

"Upupupu!" rang the voice of Monokuma over the intercom, breaking the eerie silence, "That's right everyone! The Killing Game has officially begun! Sorry I just ordered you all here without warning; from now on, we'll have a proper Body Discovery Announcements once three people find a body. But for this first time, I couldn't  _bear_  to ruin the surprise!"

"Wait, so...he's really dead?" Isao said, clearly still processing the situation.

"Of course he's dead!" cried Gorou, "What, do you think someone could survive that!?" He gestured up to Haruto's corpse.

"I, I don't know!" Isao countered, "I'm just…"

"This is horrible," Shiori whispered, "It's...I just can't believe…" She straightened up. "How do we know you didn't do this, Monokuma!?"

"Shiori, Monokuma has a gun in his hand," Ikeda pointed out, his voice flat, "And it's clear to me that Haruto was beaten to death."

"Well, you're certainly right! I didn't lay a finger on him or any of you! However! Don't get ahead of yourself there bub!" Monokuma shouted again, "Save that sort of stuff for the investigation!"

"Investigation…?" Kashie asked.

"We're supposed to investigate the murder?" Isao added, still dumbfounded.

"Well, duh!" The contempt in Monokuma's voice was palpable. "Remember how I said this was a civilized Killing Game? Before the blackened can escape, we have to hold a Class Trial! And before you can do  _that,_ you have to investigate! Find clues as to which of your dear fellow campers committed the crime!"

"How do you expect us to do that?" Homura said, trying to wipe away her tears, "We aren't detectives, and we don't have all that fancy stuff the police has for finding fingerprints or DNA or whatever!"

Monokuma laughed again. "That doesn't matter! Just do your best to gather the clues, and then all the campers will debate who the blackened is at the Class Trial! I even have an app in your Monopad that will record clues for you! It's the one called 'Truth Bullets!'" Several of the students pulled out their Monopads, and Reijirou also check his own. He found the app, but he also saw a message across the top of the screen that read 'Received Monokuma File #1!'

"What's this file thing, huh?" Akiko demanded.

"That would be the Monokuma File! It will have vital information about the murder that you chumps wouldn't be able to find otherwise! Things like time and cause of death, that sort of stuff! Although, please note that the Monokuma File will never give away information that would make the case too easy! It's only there to give info that is absolutely necessary for a fair trial!"

Reijirou straightened up. "Alright, so how long do we have to investigate before we have to trial? And how exactly will we decide the culprit?"

"Ah ah ah! That should be, 'how exactly will  _they_ decide the culprit!'" Reijirou's stomach dropped. Monokuma laughed as he continued. "As a member of the staff, you will not be participating in the trial! You'll be an overseer, like myself! But! You are certainly free to help with the investigation, as long as you keep your speculation to yourself. And to answer your first question, I'll announce when the investigation period is over! So get to it!"

 _Crap, I can't even help them figure out who did this?_ Reijirou thought.

"Wait!" Shiori suddenly cried out, "The punishment! You never told us what the punishment will be, when we catch the blackened!"

"Punishment?" Isao muttered to himself, "There's a punishment?"

Reijirou blushed slightly, realizing he'd completely forgotten about that.  _Good catch, Shiori._

Monokuma was silent for a moment, then he said coyly, "Well, you're certainly sharp to remember that! It's quite simple! The punishment is the same for if the blackened wins or the campers win!" He paused. "The losing side...is executed!"

"What!" Reijirou exclaimed before he could stop himself.

"Executed…?" Hideyo said, trembling, "We'll be executed…?"

"That's right!" said Monokuma, "I'm a very, 'an eye for an eye' sort of bear! So you guys better work hard to find the blackened, unless you all wanna die! Upupupu!" And the intercoms clicked off.

More silence.  _Shit...This just got even more serious; and of course now that I know what the consequences of failing to catch the blackened are, it turns out I can't help during the trial!_ Reijrou took a breath.  _I'll work around it, just like everything else._

Just as Reijirou calmed himself enough to speak, Akiko strode confidently up to face the group. "Okay! As of now, I'm guarding the body, so nobody's gonna be tampering with it, or any of that shit! Try it and I'll hurl you into next week!"

"May I request that we get the body down?" Ikeda said, his face once again a steely, unreadable mask. "If I can examine the body I might be able to ascertain more about the nature of the injuries."

Akiko paused, but relented. "Sure, but I'll be watching for any tampering, ya hear?"

"Of course." Ikeda gave a slightly mocking bow. "Shall we get going then?"

"How are you two so calm about this!?" said Homura, "That's...that's Haruto! He was a living, breathing person yesterday, and now that he's not you're just gonna—"

"We need to investigate this case thoroughly if we're to make it past the trial," countered Ikeda, "It's not personal; there's simply no use in getting worked up right now."

Reijirou stepped up. "As much as it hurts, in a way he's right. I promise, once this is all over we will meet to deal with the...emotional side of this situation. Just know that, whatever you're feeling or however you're processing this, it's okay. And just do whatever you feel you can to best contribute to the investigation and the trial. You can do this. You can get through this."

Remy seemed to suddenly snap out of his daze. "Everyone...should investigate with someone else...so nothing gets...tampered with."

 _Oh god...that's right...the culprit is one of the students…_ Reijirou shivered.

"That's right!" shouted Gorou, "And we should spread out, search as many places as possible." This that, he grabbed the closest person, who happened to be Kenji, and began walking back towards the cabins. Kenji didn't protest, but he looked considerably out of his depth.

Soon more groups began wandering off. Eventually, the only people left by the flagpole were Reijirou, Akiko, Ikeda, Shiori, Isao, Hideyo, Kashie, and the still-unconscious Rika.

Kashie knelt beside Rika, and looked up at Reijirou. "Mr. Saiki, I…I think I can stay here with her…or I could maybe, uh, move her to the health center…?"

Reijirou pondered for a moment, then said, "For now leave her here. I'm still not sure what caused her to have such a strong reaction, and waking up in an unfamiliar place could set her off again. Thank you, though, for staying with her." Kashie gave a small nod.

Meanwhile, Isao gently put his hand on Shiori's shoulder. "It...it might not be okay, exactly, but I know we can figure this out."

"Yes yes!" said Hideyo as she threw her arm around Shiori's other shoulder, "You are very smart, and good at noticing things! Together we will surely solve this crime!"

Shiori wiped away some of her lingering tears. "...Thanks, guys. Um!" She turned to Reijirou. "I know you're not gonna be in the trial, exactly, but could you investigate with us?"

Reijirou smiled softly. "Of course. Anything I can do to help."

Shiori took a sharp breath in, then shook out her hands rapidly. "Okay! Let's check out this Monokuma File thing!"

Reijirou quickly pulled up the Monokuma File. He saw that, in addition to the text description, there was a diagram showing all of Haruto's wounds. Carefully he read the text.

'The victim is Haruto Hanko, the Penultimate Puzzle Master! The time of death was between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM last night. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the left side of the head. The body also has various other wounds on the arms, shoulders, head, and face inflicted both pre- and post-mortem. All of the wounds were caused by the same object.'

* * *

Truth Bullet Obtained: Monokuma File #1

* * *

Reijirou bit his lip slightly.  _8:00 PM to 9:00 PM? An exact time would have been nice…_

"The time of death…" Shiori murmured, "It happened during the talent show…"

He forced down a bit of bile in his throat.  _No, demanding that all of the students come to the show would not necessarily have prevented this…Get a grip._

Looking back to the diagram, Reijirou located the head wound. It was only one of countless wounds.  _Both pre- and post-mortem…_

"The killer likely didn't realize they'd killed him with the blow to the head," came Ikeda's voice, breaking into the little semi-cycle they'd formed.

Isao nodded, grimly. "I guess that they just…kept hitting him until he stopped moving…"

Hideyo paled, swallowing thickly.

Shiori turned to where Ikeda and Akiko had lowered Haruto's body. "Ikeda…do you, uh…sorry, this is so weird to ask, but do you—?"

"Of course I know about wounds and beatings and the like," Ikeda interrupted, "It's part of my job."

"Grr!" Hideyo exclaimed, "You don't have to so…so cold about it! Have some tact."

Shiori continued, "Is there anything else you've noticed about…about Haruto's body?"

Ikeda stood and faced them. "Well, from the size and shape of the wounds I can tell that the murder weapon was a long, blunt object with a rounded end. I can also tell that the killing blow was delivered in a downwards, diagonal direction." He mimed the direction of the blow against his own head with his hand.

* * *

Truth Bullet Obtained: Ikeda's Account

* * *

"Thanks, Ikeda," said Shiori.

While Reijirou was thankful to have the analysis, the fact that Ikeda could recognize these things made his skin crawl.  _Why do you know these things? What happened in you life that let you learn how to see this stuff!? Tell me you secrets!_ He shook his head again.  _No, later, when the threat of death isn't having over these kids' heads._

He turned to Ikeda. "Did you have trouble getting...the body down?"

"No...In fact, it was was almost strange how easy it was."

"You can take a look for yourself, if you wanna," said Akiko, "As long as I don't see you tampering with anything."

Isao took a step back. "I…don't think I could handle being too close," he said.

"It's okay; we'll tell you if we find something," Shiori reassured.

Slowly she, Hideyo, and Reijirou approached Haruto's body. He swallowed thickly, and tried to glance over the body quickly, just to see if anything else stood out. Hideyo stepped back almost immediately, shaking her head and scrunching up her face in distress. "There's nothing else...and I can't…"

"No, wait," Shiori said, kneeling down on the right side of the body, "Look at his hand." She gently picked up Haruto's right hand and turned it slightly so the others could see the front side of it. On the palm of the hand and going up the thumb were patches of blood. "This is the only place besides the head and face that has blood. So it must mean something, right?"

* * *

Truth Bullet Obtained: Blood on Haruto's Hand

* * *

As Shiori and Reijirou stepped back again, Hideyo asked, "What does that even mean, though?"

"I'm not sure," Reijirou said, "But it's probably best not to get too deep into speculation now, when we don't have all of the pieces."

"Oh! Good thinking!" said Hideyo. "Where should we look next?"

"Actually," Isao interjected, "While you guys were looking at...the body, I found something over here." He lead the others to the side of the nature building, where a large black cloth lay in a crumpled heap.

Reijirou quickly stepped forward and began slowly spreading out the fabric. "Let me check this out." He didn't want one of the students getting hurt if something dangerous was inside. In the end, it turned out that there was nothing in or under the cloth, but while working with the cloth, Reijirou noticed something. "There's some kind of stain in it," he pronounced to the others. Carefully he took a sniff of the stain, then grimaced. "Blood. Not a lot, but definitely blood."

* * *

Truth Bullet Obtained: Black Cloth

* * *

"What could this be doing here?" Shiori wondered.

"I don't know," Hideyo replied. "Is there anywhere else we should check around here?"

"I want to check out something in the mess hall really quick," said Reijirou.

Shiori stepped up. "I'll come with. Hideyo, Isao, can you check around out here to see if we missed anything?"

Hideyo gave a small salute. "Can do, Shiori!"

Reijirou led the way into the mess hall, immediately heading up onto the stage.

"Mr. Saiki, slow down!" said Shiori as she caught up to Reijirou in the backstage area.

"I was right," said Reijirou. He gestured to the doorway that led to the hallway around the back of the stage. "There's supposed to be a black cloth covering up this doorway; I remember seeing it when I checked things out back here the day before yesterday."

Shiori's eyes widened. "You think the cloth outside is that cloth?"

"Yep," said Reijirou, "It's the correct size and everything…"

* * *

Truth Bullet 'Black Cloth' Updated

* * *

He continued. "Shiori, do you happen to remember if the cloth was here during the show?"

"Uh, I don't. Not really," said Shiori, sheepishly. "Maybe we can ask Kashie or Hideyo? They were backstage for the whole show."

"Good thinking. Let's go ask them then."

When they turned around to go back outside, they saw Karen and Remy carrying a rather old looking printer. They set it down on the ground next to one of the only electrical outlets and plugged it in.

As Reijirou and Shiori walked over, Reijirou looked at Remy fiddling with various cables in confusion. "Um…Remy, what are you doing?"

"Oh!" said Shiori, perking up, "Is this the printer you found in the health center?"

Karen raised an eyebrow. "Yes...and apparently, there was nowhere there to both plug in the printer...and place it down, so Remy requested I help him…chaperon it to this…whereabouts."

Reijirou and Shiori gave each other a very quick, furtive glance that Reijirou at least understood to mean 'Karen's just being herself so let's move on.' So Reijirou asked, "Remy, why do you need the printer?"

Remy looked up from where he was fiddling with various wires connect the his camera to the printer to the wall. "I have pictures of the talent show…and I want to print copies for everyone before the trial." After a moment, he clarified, "Maybe it can help…establish alibis, or…show us things we didn't notice at the time…"

Shiori's brightened and she smiled. "That's actually really smart Remy! We're actually just about to go investigate more, but do you think we could check them out?"

Remy paused, but held out his camera and said, "Sure…I put the ones I'm gonna print together so you don't have to look through all of them..."

Reijirou took the camera and let Shiori see as he flipped through the pictures. Karen quietly leaned over to see as well. The first set were from before the show while everyone was setting up. There were ones of Reijirou and Hideyo setting up the backdrop, Shiori and Isao at the light board, Akiko and Kokoa eating chocolate, and Take, Homura, and Seihiko eating dinner. Then came the pictures of the show itself, there were two or three pictures of each act, plus Kashie announcing the show.

"The lighting is strange in that one," said Karen, suddenly pointing to one of the pictures of Homura's act.

Reijirou squinted. "Really?" Looking closers, he could see light pouring in from backstage.  _The stage door! The cloth on the stage door must have been moved by then._

"What if we check the picture before this one?" suggested Shiori.

"Good idea," said Reijirou as he clicked back to the last photo. It was still Homura on stage, but the angle of the photo showed more of the backstage. Most of the backstage area was too dark to see anything in, but it just made the light pouring in from backstage door stand out all the more. Only this time, someone was standing in the door. Because of the way they stood it was difficult to discern who it was, but it was clear they were holding something bunched up in their hands.

* * *

Truth Bullet Obtained: Remy's Photos (Before Show)

Truth Bullet Obtained: Remy's Photos (During Show)

* * *

"Woah…" whispered Shiori, "I can't believe you noticed that."

Karen looked at her incredulously. "Are you surprised that I could notice something you didn't?"

"No no!" said Shiori, "I just meant that this could be really important, and I didn't know this even happened! So thank you; it was really helpful."

Karen paused, maybe a bit surprised. "Oh…um, you're welcome, Shiori," she muttered.

Reijirou handed the camera back to Remy.  _Good job!_ thought Reijirou,  _We do not need random hurt feelings coming up when we're, no, when you all are going to accusing each other of murder later today…_

Finally the two headed back out to the courtyard, but just as they were approaching the others, Hideyo ran up to them, bouncing in excitement.

"Guys, look what we found! More blood." She pointed to ground around the flagpole where there were various bloody marks. The first marks that stood out to Reijirou were some partial foot prints. Even though most of them were incomplete, he could clearly make out that they were quite small; the design of the prints looked more like boots, although he couldn't know for sure.

Isao pointed to a different set of marks. "It looks like something was dragged across the ground."

Reijirou nodded. "And they lead back down the path."

* * *

Truth Bullet Obtained: Bloody Footprints

Truth Bullet Obtained: Bloody Drag Marks

* * *

"I bet wherever these lead will be important!" exclaimed Hideyo. She snatched Isao's arm. "Let's follow them, yes yes!"

With Hideyo leading the way, the group followed the drag marks away from the flagpole area. The bloodiness of the marks faded fairly quickly, but the drag marks themselves continued all the way back past the barn, the cabins, and eventually to the pond. The marks curved off of the dirt path into an open area between two clumps of bushes right at the pond's edge.

 _Maybe this is where the murder took place,_ Reijirou thought to himself,  _At the very least, something happened here._

In the bright mid morning light it was clear that some sort of struggle took place at the pond side. Various scuff marks and bits of torn up grass littered the ground; there was also some blood, most of it small splatters, but in one area right by the pond's edge it seemed that some blood had been washed away with water.

"I think…something happened here," said Isao.

Shiori raised an eyebrow at him, just a bit.

Isao coughed, blushing a bit. "Well uh, I guess that's kind of self evident, but you never know what could be useful to point out!"

* * *

Truth Bullet Obtained: Signs of Struggle at Pond Side

* * *

"How about we split into pairs to look around?" suggested Reijirou, "That way we can cover more ground faster." The students nodded.

"Hideyo and I can check these bushes," Shiri said, gesturing to the bushes behind her, "And you two can check the others?"

The group split and began investigating their designated areas. Isao still seemed nervous, Reijirou noted; he fiddled with his pants seam as he pushed aside the various brush branches.

The first thing of note that Reijirou found was a pile of bread loaf sized stones. He waved Isao over. "Hey, check these out." He pointed to the clumps of dirt still attached to some of them. "Don't these look like they were moved here?"

"Yeah," Isao replied, "Like someone pulled them out of the ground and put them here.I can see the dents in the ground from where they were right over there. But why?" He glanced at a few more rocks of similar sizes next to the pile. "And why not put them all in a pile instead of just leaving some there?"

Reijirou couldn't think of an answer, so he said, "Let's keep looking."

* * *

Truth Bullet Obtained: Pile of Rocks

* * *

As they continued searching, Reijirou quietly asked, "How do you feel...about all this?"

Isao gave a slightly choked laugh. "I'm uh, not sure actually? I don't think it's fully hit me…And I just, spent a lot of time trying to distract myself from this...even being a possibility? So…I guess my brain is still in denial mode? Ha ha, at least like this I can still help find clues instead of having a meltdown."

Reijirou frowned. "At some point you are going to need to process these feelings. We all are."

"Yeah, I know." Suddenly Isao perked up, then began to wade out into the pond.

"Isao, what are you doing?" called Shiori.

Isao reached under some branches that hungover the pond edge. "I found something!" He pulled his hand out of the bush to reveal a wooden baseball bat. He quickly returned to shore and begun shaking out his shoes, but he seemed excited. "Maybe this is the murder weapon!"

Reijirou walked over and looked over the bat. It was a standard wooden bat, like the ones in the in the sports equipment shed he'd finally checked out yesterday afternoon. Looking closer, he saw a small notch in the bat, about halfway up.  _What could have caused that?_

* * *

Truth Bullet Obtained: Baseball Bat

* * *

Hideyo giggled slightly. "Isao! Surely you could have gotten to the bat without getting yourself soaked!"

Isao shrugged. "Maybe! I just saw it and went right for it. At least these shoes are pretty thin; they shouldn't take too long to dry."

"Sorry to dampen the mood again guys, but it looks like we got another weapon!" said Shiori, standing up from where she'd been kneeling behind a bush, holding up a kitchen knife. The group all gathered around to take a look. The knife itself was not too large, but it looked very sharp. Most of the knife's sharp edge was covered in dried blood.

"...Guess Kokoa was right about even the stuff in the kitchen being dangerous…" murmured Isao.

"We couldn't have predicted this!" reassured Shiori.

"And honestly, she was also right about almost anything being a possible weapon," added Reijirou. "Frankly, I would bet that Monokuma would interfere if anyone tried to get rid of everything even remotely dangerous."  _If that weren't the case, I would have hidden everything myself._

"Well, I don't think there's anything else here, so should we head back?" said Hideyo, "I thought I saw some people poking around in the cabins, so maybe we should check that out too?"

"Sure," said Isao, turning to head back.

Just as the group was about to leave, Shiori gasped and lunged into one of the bushes. "Guys, I found something else!"

Immediately they all stopped and turned to her. "Woah! What is it?" asked Reijirou as Shiori struggled her way back out of the bush.

After straightening her clothes and pulling a twig out of her hair, Shiori held up a somewhat small crumpled up piece of paper. "It looks like something's written on it," she said as she smoothed it out.

Everyone looked over the paper. On it was written, 'Listen; I've found something that could help us all escape, but I can't make it work by myself. I need your help to solve this puzzle and save everyone. Meet me at the pond tonight at 8:30.' One of the edges looked ripped, but the other three edges were normal.  _Like the paper was torn out of something,_ thought Reijirou.

* * *

Truth Bullet Obtained: Strange Note

* * *

Reijirou looked up from the note to check on the students. Hideyo looked pale and shaky, tugging at the sleeves of her kimono. Shiori furrowed her eyebrows, deep in thought. Isao's eyes were wide, his hand over his mouth as he seemed to process the possible implications of this. All Reijirou could say was, "Good find Shiori; this is definitely important."

Finally the group began to walk back up the path. As they passed the sports equipment shed, they saw Homura rummaging through the equipment, with Kokoa standing nearby with a small notebook, making notes.

Hideyo waved to them and said, "Oh hey guys! Did you find anything interesting?"

Kokoa shook her head. "Not really. Lots of things that could be weapons in theory, but nothing that particularly stands out."

"And it doesn't look like anything is hidden in this stuff!" said Homura as she looked up from her rummaging. "Still, I wouldn't have even thought of looking here, so good call Kokoa!"

Hideyo frowned. "Why did you think this area looked suspicious?"

Kokoa glared, her mouth in a hard line. "I'm not telling you; one of you could be the culprit for all I know!"

Hideyo gasped and took a step back, drawing her arms to her chest. Her mouth was open in an expression of pure indignance.

Reijirou quickly stepped forward to diffuse the situation. "Kokoa, I don't think withholding information from people will help in the long run; everything we find will need to come out in the trial eventually."

"Besides, none of us are the culprit!" added Isao, stepping up beside Hideyo in solidarity. She immediately began to relax and lowered her arms.

Kokoa glanced between each of them for a few seconds, then sighed. "Fine. Last night after I left the mess hall I went back to my cabin. Karen was there, and so we just...talked for a while. Anyway, sometime after nighttime, I went to the bathroom, and I thought I saw someone walking towards this area. When I remembered it, I figured...maybe something happened over here."

* * *

Truth Bullet Obtained: Kokoa's Account

* * *

After a moment of silence, Shiori said, "It uh...turns out you were right. We just got back from investigating the pond and we found a bunch of stuff."

"Really?" said Homura, popping up to stand besides Kokoa, "Then we gotta check it out! Let's go!" She grabbed Kokoa's arm and led her away.

The group watched them go, then Shiori went over to Hideyo and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't let what Kokoa said get you down. She's just scared, I think."

Reijirou nodded in what he hoped was a sagely manner. "She just learned that the one people she's gotten to know over the last few days wasn't what she thought they were…It's understandable, but it's still on her to work through that, not you."

Hideyo looked at each of them, gave them a slightly nervous smile as she tugged at her sleeves again, and said, "How about…we get going back to the cabins?"

"Great idea," said Isao, and with that the group once again headed towards the cabins.

Quickly they reached Haruto's cabin. Just as they reached the door, Gorou came bursting out of the door, with Kenji following behind him nervously. They had to jump out of Gorou's way, and the determination and focus rolling off of him in waves. Just as he passed them, Reijirou noticed that Gorou held something in his clenched fist. He almost asked Gorou to stop, but the words died on his tongue.  _He wouldn't tell me, and I bet he'd be harder to convince than Kokoa._

Recentering himself, Reijirou followed the others into the cabin. He quickly saw it was quite crowded, as Seihiko and Take were in the cabin as well. Seihiko stood in one corner looking up at Take who was sitting on one of the top bunks and going through a bag. He would take out an item, examine it, and then toss it to Seihiko who would place it on the bunk below.

"Take, what you doing?" said Isao, "That's Haruto's bunk!"

"Uh, I'm investigating, obviously," Take replied, giving Isao a pointed look.

Hideyo frowned. "All I see you looking at are clothes. What do Haruto's clothes and things have to do with the case?"

"Well, here's the thing, little lady," said Take, hopping down from the bunk and striding over to Hideyo, "It's not like the guy's gonna be using this stuff anymore, 'cause he's dead, so I might as well check to see if there's anything I want. I'm not even actually stealing; dead people don't own anything!"

Hideyo froze, giving Take an icy look. Shiori simply gaped at Take's audacity. Isao shook his head, stepping forward. "But there is something called common decency that requires you give the dead some respect. Which includes not just taking their things because you want them!"

Take barked out a laugh. "You say that like wanting something isn't reason enough for me to take it!"

Shiori hesitated for a moment, then said, "It...isn't? Usually? Enough of a reason?"

Reijirou could not form words, he was so flabbergasted.  _I know he's a bandit, but I thought it was more of a necessity thing? No, I just hoped that, I had no way of knowing…I'm gonna have to have a talk with him about this but…this is going to be difficult._

"Anyway," said Take, turning away from them, "It's not like the puzzle guy even had much worth taking, besides a spare jacket I can't wear 'cause it's too small." He picked up said jacket and tossed it under the bed. Then he gave a slightly scary smile to Reijirou, as if daring him to stop him. "Maybe I'll keep the rest, just cause it's there, you know?"

"Um," said Seihiko, finally breaking his silence, "Maybe we should check under the mattress, in case he hid anything under there?"

Shiori quickly stepped up between Seihiko and Take. "Great idea, Seihiko! Can someone get the other end?" She took a few steps up the ladder of the bunk bed and lifted the edge of the mattress. Isao lifted up the other end.

Reijirou walked up to take a peek. His eyes immediately went wide when he saw many many sheets of paper, all covered with notes and diagrams. He saw sketched out maps of the island and of different buildings. Some of the notes seemed like an incomprehensible mess of numbers, letters, and lines. He bit his lip.  _Haruto really was working to figure out something that would help us. Or at least, he was working on something…_ He also saw that many of the papers were torn up, or had large sections scribbled out.  _And he was getting frustrated..._

* * *

Truth Bullet Obtained: Haruto's Notes

* * *

"Oh wow…" said Shiori, picking up one of the papers, "Do you guys understand any of this?"

"Other than the maps and names? Not a clue," said Isao.

Hideyo carefully picked up a map detailing all of the electric fences on the island. "How…? Why did he—?"

"Oh! Look at the that!" Seihiko interrupted, reaching over some of the papers to pull out a small paperback book. He flipped through it's pages. "It's a book full of word puzzles and things…"

"I've seen that," said Shiori, "Haruto had it when I saw him the night before last."

"You saw him then?" asked Isao. "He got up so early yesterday, I don't think any of us in the cabin saw him at all, so you might have been the last to see him."

"Oh geez…Wait, Seihiko, can I see it?" When she had the book, she skimmed through the pages all the way to the back, then held out the book so everyone could see. "Look! The last few pages have been torn out."

Sure enough, Reijirou could see that two pages had been torn out of the book. The tears looked rough, like they were done quickly.

* * *

Truth Bullet Obtained: Haruto's Puzzle Book

* * *

Suddenly, a chime rang through the intercoms. Everyone jumped slightly as Monokuma began speaking. "Alright campers, investigation time is finished! Hopefully you used your time wisely, 'cause it's finally time for the Class Trial! Everyone meet at the fire pit! That's down the path that leads into the woods past the cabins, for those of you who never look at the map I gave you, ungrateful brats. Everyone must attend the trial, or you'll be punished with extreme justice! Upupu!" The intercom clicked off again.

Everyone looked at each other. Reijirou cleared his throat slightly and said, "Well then, we should get going. Come on everyone." He led the group out of the cabin and back up the path. When they reached, they took the left path leading into the woods. After a few minutes of walking, they came upon a clearing. Around the clearing was another electric fence with a large metal gate, but now that gate was open. Slowly they entered the gate and found a simple fire pit with various log benches around it.

It didn't take too long for the rest of the students to arrive. Thankfully Rika was awake again, although she looked a bit shaky, wrapped in a blanket from the health center and clutching her green teddy bear. Shiori rushed over to her, and wanting to access Rika's state, Reijirou followed.

"Rika, how are you feeling?" Shiori asked immediately.

Rika shrugged. "I'm…I just feel weird? Like a bunch of snakes are wriggling around in my stomach. But not in a 'I'm gonna throw up' way?"

Kashie, who stood beside Rika, reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a packet of antacids from the health center. "You could…try one of these? They help me sometimes…when I get queasy." Rika took one and popped it into her mouth. Her face scrunched up a bit at the taste, but she seemed a bit steadier now.

"Rika, I want you to take it easy during the trial, if you can," said Reijirou, "If things start to get overwhelming, go ahead and sit down to just breath for a bit. I'm not sure if we'll be able to have breaks during the trial, but if we can I'll make sure you can get them when you need them."

Rika smiled softly, a different sort of smile from her bright, cheery ones. "Thank you Mr. Saiki."

Shiori turned to Kashie. "I was meaning to ask you before, did you notice anything weird happening backstage during the talent show? We think some things might have happened, but since you were back there…"

Kashie shuffled her feet, then whispered, "I…I'm really not sure—"

Before Kashie could continue, a rolling, rumbling sound engulfed the clearing. Slowly, the ground in front of the fire pit began to open, revealing a set of steps leading down into the ground.

Taking a shaky breath, Reijirou strode forward, joining the students in their descent. At the bottom of the steps was a large, industrial style elevator. Before anyone entered the elevator he moved to the front of the group and caught everyone's attention. "Everyone…" Suddenly he didn't know what to say.  _What can I even say? These kids are about to try to solve a murder, where their own lives depend on getting to the right solution, and where the culprit is one of their friends! What is there even to say?_ Composing himself again, he said, "I know this is scary…Quite frankly, I'm scared too. But…you are all smart, and talented in your own ways, so…I know you can do this."

His small speech complete, the students began filing into the elevator. Once everyone was inside, the doors creaked shut, and the elevator began it's slow, shaky descent into the earth. An aura of chill washed over everyone as they faced their final moment before the first Class Trial.


	8. Chapter 1 (part 5)

Truth Bullets:

_Monokuma File #1: The victim is Haruto Hanko, the Penultimate Puzzle Master. The time of death was between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM last night. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the side of the head. The body also has various other wounds, inflicted both pre- and post-mortem. All of the wounds were caused by the same object._

_Ikeda's Analysis: The murder weapon was a long, round ended blunt object. The killing blow to the side of the head was made with a downward diagonal blow, coming down at an angle to the side of head._

_Blood on Body's Hand: The inside of Haruto's right hand has blood on it, particularly the palm and thumb._

_Remy's Pictures (Before Show): A series of pictures Remy took before the talent show. They include: Hideyo and Mr. Saiki tying up the backdrop, Shiori and Isao at the light board, Take, Homura, and Seihiko eating before the show._

_Remy's Pictures (During Show): A series of pictures Remy took during the talent show. They include: Kashie introducing the show, Rika/Seihiko/Homura/Isao/Shiori/Take/Akiko during each of their talents. In the background of one of the picture's of Homura's act you can see the silhouette of a person holding a crumbled mass in the backstage door, which no longer has the cloth covering it._

_Black Cloth: A fairly large black cloth was left near the side of the nature center. It seems to have dried blood on it. Mr. Saiki believes it is the cloth that previously covered the doorway in the backstage area. It was present before the talent show began._

_Bloody Footprints: There are small, slightly bloody footprints around the flagpole. The prints look like they came from boots._

_Bloody Drag Marks: There are somewhat bloody drag marks on the path leading up to the flagpole. They lead to the pond._

_Signs of Struggle: There are signs on a struggle on the ponds banks, including footprints, torn up grass, and some blood; it appears that some of the blood has been washed away by water._

_Baseball Bat: A baseball bat from the sports shed was found floating in the pond. It has a small notch in it._

_Bloody Knife: A slightly bloody kitchen knife left in the bushes by the pond._

_Pile of Rocks: A pile of largish rocks by the pond, near the signs of struggle. It looks like the rocks were moved to that position recently, and some rocks are next to the pile instead of in it._

_Mysterious Note: A crumpled note found at the pond, written on paper with one edge torn. It reads "Listen; I've found something that could help us all escape, but I can't make it work by myself. I need your help to solve this puzzle and save everyone. Meet me at the pond tonight at 8:30."_

_Kokoa's Account: She and Karen were in the cabin most of the evening, beginning before 8:00 PM. After nighttime, she went to use the bathroom and saw someone heading towards the pond/sports equipment shed._

_Haruto's Notes: Underneath the mattress of Haruto's bed were various notes, maps, drawings, and diagrams. Besides the maps and names, most of it is indecipherable. Some of the notes have been torn up, or had large sections scribbled out._

_Haruto's Puzzle Book: Haruto's puzzle book, left in his cabin under his mattress, has it's final two pages torn out._

* * *

As the elevator descended into the earth, Shiori looked over the Truth Bullets, trying to fully wrap her head around the reality of what she was about to do. Even reading about all of the clues she and her friends had discovered, some part of her brain seemed to be ignoring the fact that in a few minutes, she and the others would have to solve an actual murder. And one of them would be working against the others because they're the culprit.  _And everyone is working with the threat of death hanging over their heads._ Shiori gulped.

Finally, after a long, silent descent, the elevator screeched to a halt. The doors opened, revealing a large, circular room. The cycling was somewhere high above them, hidden in shadow. On each side of the room were pairs of huge, metal doors. But the main feature of the room was the structure in the center. Sixteen curved wooden podiums were arranged in a circle. Behind that, directly across from the elevator, stood a tall desk, like a judge's podium, with a T.V. monitor mounted to the front. And a top it sat Monokuma.

"Upupupu! Welcome to the trial grounds! Everyone go ahead and find your podium. And Mr Saiki, you're on my right." For a moment everyone simply stared at the room. Monokuma squinted. "What are you waiting for? Get moving!"

Snapped out of her stupor, Shiori made her way to her podium, on the left side. Looking directly left from there she saw Mr. Saiki sitting on a tall stool beside Monokuma. Glancing around the circle she noted where everyone else stood. Going clockwise from her, it went Isao, Kokoa, Kashie, Ikeda, Hideyo, Take, Seihiko, Homura, Kenji, Rika, Remy, Akiko, Gorou, and Karen. In the podium directly to her right was a stand holding a black and white photo of Haruto, framed like a memorial photo, with a red X over his face.

"Now that everyone's in place, we can get started," said Monokuma, and he held up a paw. "First, a quick review of the rules of the Class Trial! Everyone will discuss the evidence of the case in order to determine the identity of the blackened, and then vote for who you think the culprit is! If the majority votes for the correct person, only the blackened will be punished. However! If the majority chooses incorrectly, I'll punish all the students besides the blackened, and that person will escape from the camp!" Monokuma's eyes glinted. "Also, refusing to vote is not an option! At least, if you want to keep living, that is! So make sure you vote for someone. Now then, let us get this heart pumping, ultra-dramatic trial underway!"

Slowly, Mr. Saiki raised his hand. "Monokuma, I have a question."

"What?!" Monokuma snapped.

"You said that I… _we,_  are merely overseers," Mr. Saiki said. He took a second to swallow before he continued. "And I wanted to know exactly what that entails."

"It means that we will not be participating in the discussions!" Monokuma gestured down to the students. "However, we will ensure there is an orderly trial environment, which means no fighting! And I will give clarification on certain rules of the trial, and occasional other bits of clarification to make sure no dumb misunderstandings lead us too far off topic! But only sometimes! It's still up to you guys to figure out the murder! There! Understand?"

"Yes, thanks…" Mr. Saiki mumbled, rolling his eyes.

 _I guess Mr. Saiki isn't happy that he can't help us out more,_ thought Shiori.

"If that nonsense is done, we should get started," said Ikeda, leaning forward against his podium, "Now, I'm giving the culprit one chance to confess, right now. If you don't take it…" His eyes darkened, "I will show you no mercy. I will make you confess, and not matter how unpleasant it may get for you or anyone else."

"Jesus, it sounds like you're threatening to kill them!" said Gorou.

Ikeda straightened up, crossing his arms. "No, that would be unhelpful, and just trigger another trial. And I'd prefer to avoid bodily harm if possible—"

Mr. Saiki jumped off his stool. "Nope! No bodily harm in the trial ground! Or anywhere else!" he shouted.

Ikeda raised his hands in a calming manner, although Shiori did not find it calming. "Of course, Teacher. Understood." Mr. Saiki slowly returned to his stool.

"Okay but like, what are we supposed to even do now?" asked Homura, itching a bit at her wrist under the edge of her cast, "Where do we even start?"

"The body? Where it was found? You know, what the whole case is about?" said Kokoa.

"Right!" said Shiori, finding her voice.  _I need to make sure we have the facts straight. If we get mixed up, we'll make the wrong conclusion!_

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

START!

Truth Bullets: Monokuma File #1 | Blood on Haruto's Hand | Ikeda's Account

HIDEYO: Uh, so, discovering the body!

SEIHIKO: The body was  _hung up on the flagpole_...

KOKOA: Ikeda and I found the body this morning…

KOKOA: …while we were waiting for the mess hall doors to open.

IKEDA: As soon as we saw it, we ran  _to get Mr. Saiki_.

AKIKO: His face was all janked up…

RIKA: Why would the killer do that…

RIKA: …if they were just gonna  _hang him to death?_

HOMURA: Maybe it was an act of rage! I mean, Haruto wasn't always friendly.

REMY: …This seems excessive for that.

HOMURA: Hey, I don't know how a killer thinks!

-Truth Bullet: Monokuma File #1-

SHIORI: No, that's wrong!

BREAK!

* * *

"Um, Rika, since you were unconscious for the investigation, you didn't get a chance to look at the Monokuma File, did you?" said Shiori, giving her a sympathetic look.

"No…?" replied Rika, with a sad look, "Right when I woke up, Monokuma told us to come here. Did I get something wrong?"

Shiori nodded. "The cause of death wasn't hanging; it was blunt force trauma to the side of the head." As she said it, she saw that the file had appeared on the monitor attached to Monokuma's podium.  _It brings up evidence so everyone can see it? That's nice, I can point to visual parts of the clue if needed._

"Pow!" said Take, swinging his fist.

"That's…a truly brutal way to…well um, to murder," said Karen, struggling to find the right words.

"And the killing blow was not the only injury," added Ikeda, "There are more blows all over his arms, head, and face."

"Yep, definitely overkill," said Homura, gulping.

"I guess it was a real drawn out thing," said Isao.

"Okay, fine, we've established the cause of the death and that there were lots of injuries," said Gorou, tensely, "Can we move on?"

"But what do we talk about now?" asked Kenji.

"Look," said Kokoa, "There is no formal structure for this trial thing. We should just move from subject to subject without constantly asking about it." She crossed her arms to punctuate her statement.

Take groaned in exasperation. "Look, knowing how the guy died is all well and good, but I wanna know what the murder weapon was!"

"Eventually that will be useful to know, yes," said Ikeda, with what Shiori suspected was a hint of anger. "But I think I want to discuss the scene of the crime a bit more first."

Take raised his hands in mock surrender. "Fine! You're the only one of us who knows anything about this legal crap."

"...Interrogators aren't usually in court though…" Remy pointed out. Ikeda did not respond to that.

"Okay…we could talk about what else we all found at the scene?" asked Homura.

Kokoa gave a loud groan. "Quit asking and just start discussing!"

"Can we please be civil while we do this…?" asked Mr. Saiki in a soft voice. Monokuma gave him a glare. "No? Not gonna be civil, just gonna argue? Okay, cool, cool. I'm done."

 _We definitely found some clues at the scene,_ thought Shiori,  _I need to make sure to point them out!_

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

START!

Truth Bullets: Bloody Footprints | Bloody Drag Marks | Signs of Struggle

GOROU: Okay, what else was at the flagpole when we found the body?

REMY: I didn't see anything that  _could have been used as a weapon…_

KAREN: Certainly nothing obvious, like a… sanguinated rock or the like.

RIKA: What does sanguinated mean?

TAKE: Means I still don't have my murder weapon!

HIDEYO: Take, be serious!

KENJI: Doesn't it seem strange that there's no like uh, big pool of blood? At the scene?

KENJI: Especially since  _Haruto was killed there?_

RIKA: I don't wanna talk about blood!

AKIKO: Well you're gonna  _have to get over it!_

RIKA: Ah! Don't yell at me!

-Truth Bullet: Bloody Drag Marks-

SHIORI: No, that's wrong!

BREAK!

* * *

"Wait!" Shiori cried out, "Kenji, there's actually some evidence that the crime took place somewhere else! Isao and Hideyo found these bloody drag marks." Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw photos of the marks appear on the screen. They looked sort of grainy, like they came from a far away camera but were zoomed it. She continued. "I think the crime took place somewhere else, but the body was dragged to the flagpole afterwards."

"We found a bunch of evidence over by the side of the pond," said Isao, "Including more blood, and some possible murder weapons."

"Yeah! We found a bat, and a knife!" said Hideyo as photos of the weapons replaced the drag marks, "I bet the killer wanted to hide where the crime really took place, so he moved the body."

Some of the other nodded, and Kenji blushed bashfully. "I didn't see those…but Gorou and I did check out the pond. I should have realized…"

Gorou rolled his eyes. "We barely got a chance to look at anything 'cause of the timing, and the fact that some…other people were running around the scene making a mess."

Homura immediately turned to Gorou and said, "Hey! We were investigating!"

"By climbing in bushes?" Gorou countered.

"There could have been something like, hidden in there! The blackened could have wanted to hide evidence, like Hideyo said," Homura argued.

"Very well," said Karen, "But how to you suppose the killer dragged the body? Those marks, they didn't…look like the sort that come from feet dragging in the dirt…If that were the case, the marks would be two…parallelogram lines."

Shiori thought she heard Mr. Saiki whisper, "Parallelo— oh, parallel lines…" Thankfully the conversation moved on before Karen could become offended.

"They're more sort of…wide," Remy pointed out, "And not...very deep either."

Shiori smiled slightly. "We found something that connects to that too! Back by the flagpole, we found a black cloth with blood on it. Mr. Saiki was super helpful and checked it for anything dangerous and—"

"How does that explain the drag marks?" Kokoa interrupted.

Ikeda smiled slyly. "Indeed, Miss Leader. If you are going to make such bold claims, you have to explain yourself."

_How does the cloth explain the bloody drag marks? Well, the culprit used it…But how did they use it?_

* * *

THINKING TIME

Question: How did the culprit use the cloth?

A: They laid the body on it to stop blood from getting on the ground while it was moved.

_[B: They wrapped the body in it so it would be easier to drag along the ground.]_

C: They used it to hide themselves while they dragged the body.

SHIORI: This is the answer!

* * *

"I think the culprit sort of, put the body in the middle of the cloth, then gathered up the edges so it was wrapped inside," explained Shiori, visualizing the procedure in her mind, "Then the culprit could just drag the wrapped body along the ground. The blood from the wounds soaked into the cloth and then was left in the dirt."

"Wait, wait, wait," said Homura, shaking her head, "So, you're saying the killer, like, wrapped up the body in the cloth and dragged it away like they were taking out the garbage?"

Shiori shuttered a bit at the image. "That's…actually not a bad metaphor."

"So we just need to figure out who moved the body, and we've got the killer!" cheered Rika. After a second, her face fell. "Not that that's…a fun thing, but uh…I'm just happy it seems like we're making progress?"

"Wait," said Akiko, looking baffled. "Why was the cloth even there? Did it come from the sports shed or something?"

"Nope!" said Homura, "I looked all over the shed and there were no clothes in it."

Kashie raised her hand timidly. "When I uh, put my bat back in the shed a few days ago, I also…didn't see any clothes there either…"

"Then is we can assume the cloth came from somewhere else," Seihiko concluded.

Shiori saw Mr. Saiki fidget in his seat. It looked like he wanted to saw something, but he stayed silent.  _Didn't Mr. Saiki think the cloth came from the backstage area? But is that important to say right now, or should I wait?_

Before she could decide, the discussion moved on as Isao scratched his head. "But we still don't know why the cloth was there. Maybe the culprit brought it?"

"Honestly, I don't think we will be able to determine how or why the cloth was at the scene until we establish more about what happened at the pond," said Ikeda, crossing his arms, "If we use the clues there to determine exactly what happened between Haruto and the culprit, we should be able to discover the purpose of the cloth."

Akiko grinned eagerly and punched her fist into her other open palm. "Hell yeah! I didn't get to see any of this shit, so you better explain everything you saw!"

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

START!

Truth Bullets: Signs of a Struggle | Bloody Knife | Pile of Rocks

ISAO: The drag marks from the flagpole…

ISAO: …stop when they reach the side of the pond.

HOMURA: When Kokoa and I checked it out…

HOMURA: ...We only saw  _a tiny bit of blood._

KOKOA: Not much else too suspicious.

GOROU: Same with me and Kenji.

HIDEYO: But Shiori, Isao, and I also found  _the bat and the knife!_

SHIORI: One of them was probably the murder weapon.

KASHIE: Did the culprit…

KASHIE: …wait in the bushes and sneak up on Haruto?

ISAO: No, I…I think  _they fought first._

RIKA: This is all so confusion to keep track of…

IKEDA: It's really not.

-Truth Bullet: Signs of a Struggle-

SHIORI: I agree with that!

BREAK!

* * *

"I agree with Isao," said Shiori, "The scuffs in the dirt, the blood on the ground and the way it was partially washed away…"

"Plus the weapons and things we found there," continued Isao, "I think it makes sense that Haruto and the culprit fought before Haruto was killed."

"And then the culprit tried to wash away the evidence with water from the pond," Shiori concluded.

"Okay, but…" said Kenji, "How…how do we know which person had which weapon…?"

"From the wounds, clearly," said Ikeda, a small smile on his lips, "The wounds on Haruto were all from a blunt object; no cuts, slashes, or stabs. That means the culprit must have wielded the bat, and Haruto the knife. In fact, it is certain from his wounds that the bat is the murder weapon."

Gorou side-eyed Ikeda. "How can you be so sure of that? The Monokuma File only said that all the wounds were caused by the same thing. The killer still could have used their fists."

Ikeda's grin faded. "I examined the wounds myself; their shape could only have come from an instrument the shape and size of that bat." His smile returned, only it was colder this time. "And if you wish to question my insights, please know that I have seen wounds of this sort and countless other kinds up close more times than I can count."

Akiko blinked. "Jesus, I know you were an interrogator, but did you actually beat people up to get them to talk?"

"I work for the police," Ikeda replied immediately, "Such conduct would be unseemly."

Mr. Saiki shot up. "How?! How have you worked with the police?!

"Irrelevant!" said Monokuma, "No one likes off topic tangents! Okay, I do, sometimes they add some needed levity to things, but you're asking a serious question, so naw."

Mr. Saiki grumbled as he sat back down.

Remy shuffled his feet awkwardly. "The police can be super intimidating though…" He looked around a bit as everyone stared at him. "What? Oh, it's not like…I've ever really met a police officer…Maybe I watch too many cop shows…never mind then…"

Monokuma nodded. "See? That's what an off-topic comment should be! Funny and we get back on topic quickly!" Mr. Saiki looked incredulously at Monokuma.

Returning to Ikeda's comment, Shiori frowned.  _Why is Ikeda so defensive all of a sudden?_ After a moments pause, the discussion continued.

"Okay, so we have the situation with the bat mostly sorted out," said Homura, "But what about the knife? We can't say for sure Haruto had it. It is possible the culprit also had the knife, but didn't get a chance to use it."

"I think it's a…reasonable assumption to make," said Karen. "Why would the culprit choose to use the bat if they possessed a more…foreboding weapon in the knife."

"Why would Haruto have a knife though?" asked Seihiko, "It wasn't like anyone was acting especially dangerous, right?"

"Gorou's been having fun being a lone wolf though," Take pointed out, snickering a bit, "He's really been giving us the…cold shoulder.

"Wow, you're hilarious," Gorou hissed, "I just don't see the point in hanging out with you people. And it's not like any of you sought me out or anything."

Shiori flinched a bit at that.  _That's true…I assumed he didn't want to talk to us, so I never looked for him._ She squared her shoulders.  _Well, when we get through this, that's gonna change!_

Homura ran her good hand through her hair. "But then why did Haruto have the knife?"

 _I feel like I might have an idea…_ Shiori bit her lip again.  _But if I point it out, I'm not sure I'll like the path we end up going down…_

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

START!

Truth Bullets: Haruto's Notes | Mysterious Note | Karen's Account

TAKE: We finally get our murder weapon…

TAKE: …and we're talking about a weapon that  _didn't even get used to off someone?_

HOMURA: Someone please give me an answer!

HOMURA: I feel like my head is gonna like, explode from not knowing!

KOKOA: It's simple; he took it  _for protection._

RIKA: But who'd he need to protect himself from?

KAREN: There might not have been a…specialific person in mind.

AKIKO: Or ya know, he was probably nervous about two literal martial artists running around!

AKIKO: Seriously, Dictionary, if you're half as good as Bunny, and you two decided to go on the hunt? We'd all die.

HIDEYO: Honestly, he might have just  _been paranoid about the fact we hadn't escaped._

HIDEYO: Sneaking around all the time…Geez…

IKEDA: Hmm, what happened to respecting the dead?

HIDEYO: I'm not insulting him! I'm just proposing a theory.

-Truth Bullet Selected: Haruto's Notes-

SHIORI: I agree with that!

BREAK!

* * *

Shiori nodded her head sadly. "I think Hideyo's onto something, especially considering what we found under Haruto's mattress." Everyone who had not seen the notes started at the photo of the mess of papers.

"...He was trying furiously to find a way off the island," said Seihiko, somberly.

"Or he was planning how to take over the place," Take quipped, "Either way, he was seriously busy doing something."

"And a lot of it is scribbled out, which suggests he was getting frustrated," Isao added, "If he thought that the motive would tempt someone before he could get us out, well…I don't think I'd blame him."

As the other students nodded or tilted their heads in thought, Shiori contemplated voicing her theory.  _I could be wrong, but if it's true, it changes the whole context of the case._ She stole a glance at Mr. Saiki. He sat alert on his stool, looking between the students and the Monopad on his lap. His face looked a bit troubled. Then he saw her gaze, and he gave her a small thumbs up. 'You're doing great!' he mouthed to her.

She was brought back to the discussion when Homura declared loudly, "Now I get it! So the killer waited in the bushes for someone to kill, and then jumped out to attack Haruto when he passed by! Haruto took out his knife to defend himself, but was subdued and eventually killed."

"If that were the case," said Akiko, "That'd be one hell of a coincidence, just happening to have Haruto pass the pond when the killer was hiding there."

"Honestly, that's too much of a coincidence for me," said Gorou.

"I concurrate, no, er...that is, I agree," Karen chimed in, "In true mysteries such…precipitous happenstances are rare."

Gorou gave Karen a blank look. "I mean, sure, if you want to be pretentious about it. But what I really meant is that if someone were really going to just lay in wait to kill someone, there are better places to do it."

"There are at least…more well travelled areas," Kenji pointed out.

"Maybe the killer just wanted to make sure there'd be no witnesses," suggested Kokoa, "So they picked a less well traveled spot."

"Wait!" shouted Shiori. Everyone turned to her. She gulped.  _It's now or never._ "I don't think Haruto and the culprit running into each other at the pond was a coincidence. It was on purpose."

"Really?" asked Rika, "But how would it be on purpose?"

Shiori could feel herself sweating.  _I have evidence that shows the meeting wasn't a coincidence; I just need to find it._

* * *

Select Evidence: Mysterious Note

SHIORI: This is it!

* * *

Shiori held up the mysterious note. "I found this in the bushes by the pond."

The note appeared on the screen. "'Listen; I've found something that could help us all escape, but I can't make it work by myself. I need your help to solve this puzzle and save everyone. Meet me at the pond tonight at 8:30,'" read Seihiko.

"...8:30 is right in the time range for the time of death," Remy pointed out.

Isao gave Shiori a quick smile. "Good catch Shiori. With all of the other stuff we'd been discussing, I'd forgotten about the note."

"Me too!" Hideyo immediately added.

"This means that Haruto and the killer meeting was intentional," said Shiori, "Someone set it up. They both had weapons, so it makes sense that a fight would break out. There's even a notch in the bat, like Haruto tried to use the knife on the culprit but they blocked the strike with the bat." A zoomed in picture of the bat showed the notch.

"Wait, wait," said Kashie, "You're…it sounds like you're implying Haruto attacked his killer. Surely…surely, even if they were fighting, he just, uh, defended himself?"

Shiori paused, but then answered. "Honestly…I think Haruto is the one who set this up."

" _You're jumping to conclusions!_ " shouted Kokoa, slamming her hand down on her podium.

Shiori nearly jumped out of her skin, "Um, Kokoa, just a minute," she said, but Kokoa cut her off.

"The real answer is so obvious now, you're just making things overly complicated. This isn't some mystery novel you're writing!" Kokoa flipped a bit of her hair over her shoulder.

 _She isn't letting me get a word in!_ Shiori clenched her fists.  _I'll hear what she has to say, but I'm pretty sure I'm right._

* * *

REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN

START!

Truth Blades: Haruto's Notes | Haruto's Puzzle Book | Remy's Photos (Before Show)

KOKOA: Haruto is clearly the one who received the note!

SLASH!

KOKOA: The culprit wanted to lure him to a secluded place…

SLASH!

KOKOA: …in order to kill him without any witnesses.

SLASH!

KOKOA: And their plan was successful!

ADVANCE!

SHIORI: I understand that seems most likely because Haruto ended up being killed…

SHIORI: …but it is still possible that Haruto made the plan and his target overpowered him!

KOKOA: Possible, but do you have proof?

SLASH!

KOKOA: All you can say for sure is that their weapons met.

SLASH!

KOKOA: Which easily could have happened in the struggle the killer started!

SLASH!

KOKOA: Until you can show me  _evidence Haruto set this up_ …

SLASH!

KOKOA: …You can't go implying he wanted to kill someone!

Truth Blade: Haruto's Puzzle Book

SHIORI: I'll cut through your words!

BREAK!

* * *

"I do have proof! I think the paper for the note came from this!" Shiori brought out the puzzle book she'd pocketed earlier. "We found this under Haruto's mattress with the notes. Look at the back!" She opened the back to the book.

"The last pages were torn out?" asked Kenji.

"That note has a torn edge," Gorou said in realization, "Do they match up?"

Shiori carefully held up the note to the torn stubs; the second stub matched up. Kokoa raised her eyebrows in shock. Biting her lip, she gave a small sharp nod and stepped back, conceding.

Hideyo clapped her hands a bit. "Yes yes! Well done Shiori. Honestly, besides the book, the note also literally has the word 'puzzle' in it; it's sort of easy to assume Haruto wrote it."

"Isn't that…a bit on the nose?" wondered Kashie.

"Frankly, I wouldn't put it past that guy," said Akiko, shrugging, "He called basically everything a puzzle."

Rika put her pointer fingers on her temples and scrunched her eyes shut, as if concentrating her hard. "So…Haruto wrote a note to someone to get them to meet him at the pond. They came, but Haruto attacked them with the knife. Then they used a bat to kill him instead?"

"Wait, didn't the bear girl have a bat earlier?" asked Take, turning to Kashie.

All eyes turned to Kashie and she squeaked. "That…was a while ago! I, I put the bat back uh, the day before yesterday. And there are um, a bunch of bats in the shed. It could have been anyone…"

"And anyway," Isao interjected, a bit of edge to his voice, "Kashie was at the mess hall running the talent show when the crime took place."

"She was on stage between every act," Shiori said, "Even if she had snuck out, there wouldn't have been time for her to get back from the pond in time for the next act."

"But someone else could have snuck out of the show?" asked Gorou.

Shiori balked.  _Could someone have…? Because of the time of death I didn't even consider…_

"Yeah…" Remy admitted, "I might have been near the door but…I wasn't paying attention."

"Geez, that makes things more complicated," grumbled Akiko.

Kashie perked up and glanced a bit around Ikeda, as if waiting for someone further down the circle to speak, but after a moment she deflated and curled back into herself. Before Shiori could think about what this could mean, the conversation moved on.

"Perhaps we should try a different angle," suggested Karen, "There are other factors to consider before we get to opportunity."

Take grinned and slammed his hand down in his podium. "Aw hell yeah! Are we finally moving on from figuring out boring set up stuff to the actual culprit? Time to get some real accusing done!"

 _Do we know enough about the series of events to accuse someone?_ wondered Shiori.  _Let's see what people are thinking…_

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

START!

Truth Bullets: Remy's Photos (Before Show) | Remy's Photos (During Show) | Bloody Footprints | Ikeda's Account

TAKE: Alright! Time to get accusing!

TAKE: If it ain't bear skin girl, who is it?

KENJI:  _Anyone could have gotten the bat_ …

KENJI: So that isn't super helpful…

ISAO: What else do we know it true about the culprit?

RIKA: They're  _a big meanie!_

IKEDA: …Oh my, what a revelation.

KAREN: Hey! It's...non-eloquent, but probably true!

AKIKO: They're probably  _big and strong._

AKIKO: If they were able to pull the body up the flagpole and all.

TAKE: Seriously, is that all we have?

TAKE: We must suck at this.

-Truth Bullet Selected: Bloody Footprints-

SHIORI: No, that's wrong!

BREAK!

* * *

"Akiko, I actually...don't think the person who hung up Haruto was all that big," said Shiori, "We found some bloody footprints at the scene, and they probably belong to whoever brought the body, but look." Everyone examined the photo of the prints on the monitor. "See how small the prints are? That suggests a smaller person, right?"

Akiko shook her head. "But a shorty wouldn't be strong enough to pull the body up."

"Hey!" shouted Rika, "I may be short, but I'm plenty strong!"

"So you're saying you could have pulled him up?" asked Ikeda.

Rika froze, her mouth opening and closing. Finally she spoke. "No! No no no! I didn't kill him! I didn't even see him until we…you know!"

"Considering her…reaction to seeing the body," Karen said slowly, "I doubt she could have killed him."

Ikeda tilted his head. "Hmm, interesting that you're defending her when a day ago you were telling her to leave you alone. Besides, it's easy to fake a faint. Or perhaps she simply feels guilty about it. The injuries do suggest the culprit mostly attacked out of self-defense."

"And the footprints do look like they came from boots," Hideyo pointed out quietly. "You're one of the only people who's both small and wears boots…"

Isao frowned at Hideyo, then looked to Shiori with sad eyes, but Shiori could not look away from Rika, who stood trembling and shaking her head again and again.

"I didn't!" Rika cried, choking slightly on her words. "I swear! Please, please, I didn't kill him!"

Shiori felt her heart tug in her chest as Rika spoke, but her thoughts were swirling.  _She looks so scared! But she has the boots, and she's strong enough to do it…She was at the show! But she could have snuck out…Can I prove it wasn't her? Come on, there's gotta be something!_

However, before Shiori could speak up, someone else beat her to it.

"Everyone stop," said Gorou. He gulped, but straightened himself up. "The footprints are mine. I moved Haruto's body."

Everyone froze. For a moment, the whole room seemed to be stuck in time. Strangely, it was Monokuma who broke the silence. "What!? Come on, you're just gonna admit it? I didn't even get to explain how I specially designed the pulley on the flagpole so it would be easier for any of you wimpy types to hang bodies from it! You're ruining all the fun!"

Mr. Saiki looked up at Monokuma incredulously. "You seriously designed a special flagpole just so it'd be a more accessible tool for murder?"

"I thought getting the body down seemed too easy..." muttered Ikeda. 

"Well yeah!" Monokuma replied, "The normal rope systems for flags can barely be called pulleys! But the image of a body hanging from the camp flagpole was too perfect! So, I adjusted it. Now even the wimpiest of you campers, like Gorou here, can use it to amazing dramatic effect!"

Gorou slammed his hands down on his podium and shouted, "Dramatic effect?! Seriously, are you so wrapped up in the idea that this is just a game that you set up our prison in stupid ways for the tiny chance that it'll look 'cool'? Bullshit! And furthermore, I'm not going to let us get on the wrong track by accusing someone innocent just so we can have a dramatic reveal in five minutes! No! Fuck you, you stupid delusional excuse for a stuffed bear!"

Gasps of surprise at Gorou's outburst swept around the room, and Monokuma put his paw over his chest in mock dismay. "Well! I have never been so disrespected! That's a lie, I have, but this time really hurt! I may just have to send you to Mr. Saiki for that!" Mr. Saiki nearly fell off his stool in shock, but Monokuma continued, his voice calm again, "That is, if you all manage to survive the trial! Upupupu!"

"Of course we'll survive the trial!" said Homura.

"Yes yes!" said Hideyo, then she smiled broadly. "In fact, now we know who the culprit is!"

Shiori whipped her head to look at Hideyo. "What? Hideyo, what do you mean?"

Gorou ran his hands down his face, "Oh my god, of course. This is why I didn't admit to this earlier…"

Shiori put it together. "Wait…Hideyo, you think…?"

Hideyo flipped her hair over her shoulder and continued smiling. "But I'm thankful you did admit it, Gorou! See, it means you still have some sort of morals left, since you didn't let us to convict Rika, which would have lead to all of us dying! I mean, I was almost convinced it was her, but then you spoke up! It means that, deep down, you feel guilty for killing Haruto."

"But I didn't kill him!" Gorou snapped.

Everyone immediately looks at him. Shiori feels a bit of sweat on the back of her neck.

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

START!

Truth Bullets: Kokoa's Account | Bloody Knife | Haruto's Puzzle Book | Blood on Body's Hand

GOROU: I was not the one who killed Haurto!

TAKE: Uh, dude, you just admitted to moving the body.

GOROU: That does  _not necessarily mean I killed him!_

AKIKO: Then what the hell does it mean!?

HIDEYO: Oh Gorou, I thought you were better than this…

GOROU: Shut up and let me explain!

GOROU:  _I_   _went to the pond a bit after nighttime…_

GOROU: …And saw Haruto's body there. No one else.

GOROU: I decided to  _move the body…_

GOROU: So when the culprit came back they couldn't mess with it!

IKEDA: And yet, you have no proof to show any of this.

-Truth Bullet Selected: Kokoa's Account-

SHIORI: I agree with that!

BREAK!

* * *

"Wait, Kokoa, didn't you say you saw someone heading to the pond around nighttime?" Shiori blurted out.

Kokoa started, then said, "Yes, I did…I was talking with Karen in our cabin, and then when I went out to the restroom, I saw someone heading towards the pond. I couldn't see them clearly, but now that I think about it, they did look to be on the shorter side." She looked around the group, a sharp look in her eye. "And by the way, Karen and I were together during the designated window for the time of death. We have alibis."

"I can…confirm we were together," said Karen, adjusting her glasses.

Take clapped his hands slowly. "Wow! We can prove exactly one thing you said is true! Things are looking great for you!"

"Shut up!" snapped Gorou.

"But why move the body?" Ikeda asked, pointing an accusatory finger at Gorou, "If you truly stumbled upon the body like you say, you not go get someone else? Sound the alarm?"

"How could I know whoever I got wasn't the killer?" Gorou replied harshly, "If they knew I found the body, they might have killed me too! The only person it really couldn't have been was Mr. Saiki, since he has no incentive to kill because he's not a student. And if I went to get him, the body would be alone for too long! The culprit would have hidden it, or destroyed it!"

"Wow, you're paranoid," said Akiko, shaking her head, "What a lame excuse. 'The culprit was gonna hide the body, so I had to hang it up on the fucking flagpole.' What a joke."

Suddenly, Shiori remembered something she'd seen and said, "Wait…there's been this thing at the pond that was bugging me, but if Gorou is right, and the culprit was gonna hide the body somewhere else, it might make sense."

"Shiori, what are you talking about?" said Hideyo, voice a bit higher than usual. She tugged on her sleeves. "There's nothing at the pond that indicates that, no no."

 _Accept there is!_ thought Shiori.

* * *

Select Evidence: Pile of Rocks

SHIORI: This is it!

* * *

"Hideyo, I don't know if you saw this, but I was looking at the truth bullets we found, and the pile of rocks Isao and Mr. Saiki found by the pond is really suspicious." Shiori gulped.  _This is a stretch but…I even if it's not what really happened, it could back up what Gorou says._ "So, uh, this pile of rocks? At first it's not too suspicious, but look! You can see from the wet and the dirt that they were moved recently, and that got me thinking, why would someone move these rocks? And then I remembered this one uh, movie I saw? Where someone wrapped up a body and then used rocks to make the body sink. So that might have been what made Gorou think the culprit was gonna move the body."

Gorou looked at Shiori in puzzlement. "Yeah…that was what I thought. And since the  _stupid bear_ didn't fully explain the procedures of this stuff leading up the trial, I had no idea what would happen if the body wasn't found. I didn't want to risk it."

"What would have happened is that there wouldn't have been a trial!" said Monokuma, pouting. "Discovering the body triggers the whole thing! So honestly, to any future killers, don't bother! If you off someone but there's no trial, you won't have a chance to escape! Or do bother; I can't tell you what to do, upupu!"

"Can you at least be consistent?" groaned Mr. Saiki.

"Nope! One of my consistent character traits is that I'm inconsistent!"

Mr. Saiki put his head in his hands. "That makes no sense! Then again, nothing about you makes sense, so why am I surprised?"

"Okay, but that whole scenario playing out exactly like you said is a major stretch," said Kokoa.

Ikeda smirked. "It's possible Gorou simply saw the rocks when he committed the crime and is using them now as an excuse to divert suspicion."

Isao frowned, but then carefully said, "I don't know if this is uh, important, but not all of the rocks that were moved were in the pile. Some were sort of beside it, like they were dropped?"

"See! That's also suspicious!" said Shiori, her voice growing louder in her excitement, "If the rocks were piled for some unrelated reason, why aren't they all in the pile?"

"This is all nonsense!" said Hideyo,

Shiori continued, undaunted. "I can tell you why!"

* * *

THINKING TIME

Why are some of the rocks out of the pile?

A: Because they fell off the pile

B: Because the culprit left them as a trail

_[C: Because the culprit had to leave before finishing the pile]_

SHIORI: This is the answer!

* * *

"It's because when the culprit was making the pile, they suddenly stopped before finishing it!" Shiori declared, "Maybe they realized they needed to go somewhere else to avoid being seen as suspicious!"

"Like…the talent show?" suggested Kenji. "Since it was uh, dark, and hard to tell if people were coming in or out…maybe they wanted to use that as an alibi?"

"Well, I never went to that talent show thing," said Gorou.

"Can confirm!" said Seihiko.

Everyone else who was at the talent show nodded as well, although Akiko was still frowning. "This is all still kind of a stretch. Yeah, the thing with rocks and how they're piled is weird, but I don't think it's enough to say for sure that it wasn't Gorou."

"But we also don't have anything that clearly ties him to the actual murder!" Shiori countered. "Or to anything besides moving the body."

Kenji began shifting his feet awkwardly, glancing at Gorou nervously. Gorou eyed him, raised an eyebrow, then snapped, "Dang it, if you're gonna say something, just do it! I know you were watching me during the investigation."

Kenji gulped. "Um…What was that uh, paper you were looking at? While we were in your cabin?"

Shiori saw Mr. Saiki nod out of the corner of her eye, so she pressed as well. "Gorou, I really don't know for sure how exactly you're involved in this, but I want to believe you. If you keep hiding things, I can't help you."

Gorou pursed his lips, then threw up his hands in exasperation. "Fine! But you better stick up for me! It was this!" He reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out a paper, which he unfolded and read out loud in a harsh shout. "'Listen; I've found something that could help us all escape, but I can't make it work alone. I need your help to solve this puzzle and save everyone. Meet me at the pond tonight at nighttime.' It's another damn note from Haruto! It's why I went to the pond at nighttime. Happy?"

"Wow, you are seriously digging your own grave here," said Akiko, her tone somewhere between perplexed and concerned.

"Wait wait, so there were  _two_ notes?" asked Homura.

"None of this is helping me understand what's going on…" muttered Rika, who was fiddling with her fingers.

"And of course, I can't prove I really received  _this_  note rather than the other one," said Gorou, voicing rising again. This time, Shiori thought she caught an edge of panic in his tone. "No way to know I didn't just steal this note from under Haruto's bed, or fake it, or anything! Might as well start the voting, right? Then we'll all fucking die! Great! Perfect!"

Gorou's nihilism shocked Shiori. For a moment she felt her throat tighten up, unsure of how to proceed.  _Can we really prove it wasn't Gorou? I want to stick with him, but what if I'm wrong? God, if I'm wrong we're all gonna—_ Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to see the hand belonged to Isao. He smiled slightly and gave a firm nod. 'You can do this,' the look said.

Shiori straightened back up."That's enough!" she shouted. She turned to Gorou. "We are not gonna vote yet. I won't let us! There's still too much stuff to go over to say for sure that you're the culprit."

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

START!

Truth Bullets: Baseball Bat | Ikeda's Account | Black Cloth | Remy's Photos (During Show)

TAKE: I mean, what is there to discuss?

TAKE: Gorou's our guy;  _He moved the body!_

KASHIE: I still…don't really know, uh, why Gorou wanted to move the body…?

GOROU: I don't have to explain myself to you!

AKIKO: You're being accused of freaking murder!

AKIKO:  _Yes, you need to explain!_

GOROU: It isn't relevant!

IKEDA: …Are you ashamed of your reasoning? That you acted in panic?

IKEDA: You know,  _I have evidence that could acquit you._

IKEDA: If you tell me.

GOROU: …damn it…

-Truth Bullet Selected: Ikeda's Account-

SHIORI: I agree with that!

BREAK!

* * *

Shiori frowned. "Ikeda, coercing Gorou into talking isn't going to be helpful! And withholding information could be detrimental! I'll present the evidence myself." Shiori took a breath, calming herself, before she continued. "Everyone, Ikeda examined Haruto's body during the investigation, and I think we can take him at word that this is accurate, considering his talent. He said that the killing blow to the side of Haruto's head was a downwards diagonal strike! And we know the killer was using the bat, so it was sort of like this…"

She started to mime the motion, but then Monokuma cleared his throat. "I can give a clearer visual demonstration!" On the screen a rough animation showing a simple silhouette making the swing appeared.

Shiori paused in confusion, then said, "Uh, thanks for the uh…visualization? Anyway, so think about the logistics of this! In order for the bat to hit at the correct angle…" Another  _shorter_ silhouette representing Haruto appeared beside the first, being hit by the bat. "...The culprit had to be taller than Haruto! And Gorou is shorter!" The swinging silhouette shrunk, and the bat no longer hit at the correct angle.

"...Would you look at that," said Remy, "It's like we're in a cop show…We have digital crime recreation."

"Sorry it's so rudimentary," said Monokuma, "Anything more intense than this would have really dug into the budget."

"What budget…?" Mr. Saiki said to himself.

"And there is no way for someone shorter to have made the correct kind of wound with the bat?" asked Homura, "No uh, other set of positions?"

"Maybe if Haruto was bent over?" suggested Kokoa.

"It would be close, but not quite the exact angle necessary," said Ikeda, finally speaking up. His arms were crossed, and although his face remained as neutral as ever, Shiori thought she sensed something off about him.  _I mean, I did interrupt his interrogation of Gorou; that'd be upsetting. But dude, don't withhold this stuff! And Gorou's exact motivation isn't even relevant…_

Take rolled his eyes. "Dude, you may know your stuff, but can you seriously tell that sorta detailed stuff just from looking?"

"It would be difficult to be completely sure without proper equipment," Seihiko mentioned.

"I agree," said Kokoa, "While I appreciate your thoughts, Ikeda, there is still a high probability that Gorou is the culprit."

"And it would be simpler," Homura added, although she seemed a bit unsure, "Isn't there some saying about the simplest explanation being the right one?"

"Occam's razor," said Remy, "But I'm…not sure this is the right time to invoke that…"

"However!" Hideyo interjected, gripping the edges of her podium, "This is not a real court, where we can only convict when we are nearly one hundred percent sure. We just need to find the most likely person! Which unfortunately is Gorou. Let's just vote."

"But, uh, if we get this wrong…" said Kashie, wringing her hands, "We will all die…so we, we really should be as sure as we can be…"

"There's still so much stuff I don't get yet!" said Rika, "I don't wanna vote until I understand things!"

"We'd be here all day if we waited for you to understand everything," muttered Kenji.

Karen eyed Kenji. "She was unconscious for most of the investigation; her confusion is …not inordinate."

"There really is too much to this case we haven't gone over," said Isao, "We can't vote now."

"Agreed," said Ikeda.

"Who all thinks we shouldn't vote yet?" asked Shiori as she raised up her own hand. Gorou's hand immediately went up. Isao, Kashie, Ikeda, and Rika also raised their hands. After a moment, Karen and Remy raised theirs as well.

After a quick count, Rika said, "Yay! We're the majority!"

"By one!" Hideyo objected.

"And I don't think the guy who's getting accused vote should count," Akiko added.

Shiori frowned, "Either way, we're basically split in half..."

Suddenly Monokuma's voice rang as he shouted, "Split?! And wouldn't you know it, there's actually codified way to settle such things!" As he spoke, simple LED lights on the fronts of the podiums; red for those who wanted to vote, and blue for those who did not. "It's time for our very first Debate Scrum! Facing off against each other to decide your fate! Upupu! Things are really heating up now!"


	9. Chapter 1 (part 6)

p>Truth Bullets:

_Monokuma File #1: The victim is Haruto Hanko, the Penultimate Puzzle Master. The time of death was between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM last night. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the side of the head. The body also has various other wounds, inflicted both pre- and post-mortem. All of the wounds were caused by the same object._

_Ikeda's Analysis: The murder weapon was a long, round ended blunt object. The killing blow to the side of the head was made with a downward diagonal blow, coming down at an angle to the side of head._

_Blood on Body's Hand: The inside of Haruto's right hand has blood on it, particularly the palm and thumb._

_Remy's Pictures (Before Show): A series of pictures Remy took before the talent show. They include: Hideyo and Mr. Saiki tying up the backdrop, Shiori and Isao at the light board, Take, Homura, and Seihiko eating before the show._

_Remy's Pictures (During Show): A series of pictures Remy took during the talent show. They include: Kashie introducing the show, Rika/Seihiko/Homura/Isao/Shiori/Take/Akiko during each of their talents. In the background of one of the picture's of Homura's act you can see the silhouette of a person holding a crumbled mass in the backstage door, which no longer has the cloth covering it._

_Black Cloth: A fairly large black cloth was left near the side of the nature center. It seems to have dried blood on it. Mr. Saiki believes it is the cloth that previously covered the doorway in the backstage area. It was present before the talent show began._

_Bloody Footprints: There are small, slightly bloody footprints around the flagpole. The prints look like they came from boots._

_Bloody Drag Marks: There are somewhat bloody drag marks on the path leading up to the flagpole. They lead to the pond._

_Signs of Struggle: There are signs on a struggle on the ponds banks, including footprints, torn up grass, and some blood; it appears that some of the blood has been washed away by water._

_Baseball Bat: A baseball bat from the sports shed was found floating in the pond. It has a small notch in it._

_Bloody Knife: A slightly bloody kitchen knife left in the bushes by the pond._

_Pile of Rocks: A pile of largish rocks by the pond, near the signs of struggle. It looks like the rocks were moved to that position recently, and some rocks are next to the pile instead of in it._

_Mysterious Note: A crumpled note found at the pond, written on paper with one edge torn. It reads "Listen; I've found something that could help us all escape, but I can't make it work by myself. I need your help to solve this puzzle and save everyone. Meet me at the pond tonight at 8:30."_

_Kokoa's Account: She and Karen were in the cabin most of the evening. After nighttime, she went to use the bathroom and saw someone heading towards the pond/sports equipment shed._

_Haruto's Notes: Underneath the mattress of Haruto's bed were various notes, maps, drawings, and diagrams. Besides the maps and names, most of it is indecipherable. Some of the notes have been torn up, or had large sections scribbled out._

_Haruto's Puzzle Book: Haruto's puzzle book, left in his cabin under his mattress, has it's final two pages torn out._

* * *

SPLIT OPINION

WE SHOULD VOTE FOR GOROU NOW (RED SIDE):

Akiko, Kenji, Take, Seihiko, Kokoa, Homura, Hideyo

WE SHOULD NOT VOTE NOW (BLUE SIDE):

Shiori, Isao, Rika, Karen, Ikeda, Remy, Kashie, Gorou

DEBATE SCRUM START!

AKIKO: Gorou moved Haruto's body to the flag pole!

TAKE: If he isn't lying, Gorou should have gotten help when he found the body.

SEIHIKO: Haruto did send Gorou a note to meet at the pond.

KOKOA: Gorou could have used the bat to defend himself, killing Haruto by accident.

HIDEYO: We have enough evidence; we should vote now!

*

SHIORI: The evidence on Gorou is shaky; There are too many unknowns to  _vote_  now!

IKEDA: Gorou is too short to have caused the killing blow with the  _bat_.

ISAO: But Gorou admitted to moving the  _body_.

KAREN:  _Gorou_  suspected the culprit would tamper with the scene if he left it alone.

REMY: But there were two  _notes_ …and Gorou's had the wrong time.

*

AKIKO: Gorou moved Haruto's  _body_  to the flag pole!

ISAO: But Gorou admitted to moving the  _body_.

TAKE: If he isn't lying,  _Gorou_  should have gotten help when he found the body.

KAREN:  _Gorou_  suspected the culprit would tamper with the scene if he left it alone.

SEIHIKO: Haruto did send Gorou a  _note_  to meet at the pond.

REMY: But there were two  _notes_ …and Gorou's had the wrong time.

KOKOA: Gorou could have used to  _bat_  to defend himself, killing Haruto by accident.

IKEDA: Gorou is too short to have caused the killing blow with the  _bat_.

HIDEYO: We have enough evidence; we should  _vote_  now!

SHIORI: The evidence on Gorou is shaky; There are too many unknowns to  _vote_  now!

BLUE SIDE: THIS IS OUR ANSWER!

BREAK!

* * *

"Please everyone," Shiori begged, "I…I know there is evidence that it could have been Gorou, but there are definitely holes, and more evidence I want to go over. Just let us discuss a few more things. Please."

After a moment, Seihiko, Homura, and Kenji all nodded. Take shrugged and said, "Hey, more time to prove it's him."

Akiko, meanwhile, just threw up her hands. "You know what? Sure, Bubbly. You seem like you know what you're talking about."

"I do suppose thoroughness is warranted in this situation," added Kokoa.

Hideyo looked around the circle, eyebrows furrowed, but then gave a slight sigh. "Okay," she said, relenting, "I guess…I did get carried away. I'm sorry about that, Shiori. But can we agree that Gorou is still a suspect?"

"That's fair," Gorou muttered.

Shiori bit her lip, then nodded. "Okay, that's fine."

"If we're gonna keep talking, I…do have a question," said Kenji, "About the notes…Why two?"

"Puzzle man wanted a back-up," said Akiko, "If the first person didn't show he'd get a second chance. And if he did kill the first person there was enough time in between for him to hightail it."

 _That does make sense,_ Shiori thought. "Now, there's something we discussed earlier we need to get back to, because we didn't really finish talking about it."

"What's that?" asked Homura.

"The black cloth Gorou used to move the body," said Shiori, "We need to figure out why it was there and where it came from."  _I feel like I know, but just to be sure…_

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

START!

Truth Bullets: Black Cloth | Baseball Bat | Remy's Photos (Before Show) | Remy's Photo's (During Show)

GOROU: The black cloth was  _already at the pond_  when I found Haruto.

GOROU: I don't know where it came from.

KOKOA: Assuming you're not the killer…

KOKOA: …that means either  _Haruto or the culprit brought it._

HOMURA: The culprit could have used it as a disguise or something…

KASHIE: Are there uh, any clues about where the cloth came from?

ISAO: It looks kinda like  _a masking curtain._

RIKA: Huh? What's that?

ISAO: A cloth used to block light or activity in the backstage of a theatre.

RIKA: Wow! I never knew theaters had such fancy words for things!

Truth Bullet Selected: Black Cloth

SHIORI: I agree with that!

BREAK!

* * *

"Isao, that's it!" cried Shiori, "It's the masking curtain from backstage!"

"Really?" asked Isao, "I didn't know the stage had one."

"Mr. Saiki confirmed it; he saw a cloth covering that door out of backstage a few days ago, but now it's gone," Shiori explained.

Mr Saiki glanced at Monokuma before commenting. "I honestly suspected that was where the cloth came from as soon as I realized what size it was; I took Shiori backstage to check."

"Oh, taking a student aside alone?" Take jeered, "Ain't that a little suspicious."

Mr. Saiki's mouth was left gaping as Shiori's face scrunched up in disgust. "Ew, God no! Nothing happened! Mr. Saiki is actually pretty cool guys, in case you were  _still_ suspicious of him for some reason."

"Okay, just because he wasn't a creep doesn't mean the fact that he's here isn't suspicious as hell!" Gorou objected.

"Can we…get back on track?" asked Kenji.

Karen adjusted her glasses and said, "That means…the personage who brought the cloth must have gone to the backstage, and therefore the mess hall, to get it."

"That could still be Haruto or the culprit," said Seihiko, dejected.

"If we could figure out when the cloth was taken," suggested Kokoa, "We can narrow down who could have taken it."

"But there's no way to do that," said Hideyo, "Unless Monokuma would let us look at his security footage."

"Well I ain't doing that!" Monokuma crowed. "For one thing, that'd be cheating, and for another, I don't want you kids anywhere near my stuff."

"Except there is a way to know!" declared Shiori.

* * *

Select Evidence: Remy's Photos (During Show)

SHIORI: This is it!

* * *

"Remy took photos before and during the talent show! Remy, can you pass them out now?" He nodded and did so quickly as Shiori continued. "There's a photo from during Homura's act where you can see backstage, and in the doorway out you can see the silhouette of someone holding something."

Homura gasped. "Woah! I totally didn't notice that while I was doing my thing!"

"The point of a masking curtain is to block light," Isao said, "So the fact that the light is shining through…"

"I bet that what that person is holding  _is_ the curtain!" Shiori finished.

"So that means that the curtain was removed from backstage during the show," said Ikeda.

"Which rules out Kokoa and myself," added Karen, "Since we were in our cabin during the talent show."

Seihiko frowned. "I don't think we were keeping super close track of the time during the show though, so we just know that it was sort of near the beginning, since Homura went third."

Mr. Saiki cleared his throat and said, "The average length of the performances was about ten minutes. Some, like Rika and Shiori's, were longer, while your and Isao's were shorter. I'm fairly certain Homura's performance began no later than 8:20."

"Wait, so…Haruto was hiding in the bushes waiting for the culprit, right?" Rika countered. "I got that right? A cloth like that wouldn't be good for hiding in a bush."

Kenji's eyes widened, a bit impressed. "That's…definitely true. And if he went to the mess hall so close to the meeting time, he would have risked missing his target."

Rika's eyes lit up. "I got a thing right! Haruto wasn't the one who brought the cloth!"

Shiori caught Karen giving Rika a small smile before Karen said, "So, who does that leave as possible people who took the curtain, and thusly could be our culprit?"

"Gorou, of course," said Hideyo, "Remy admitted he wasn't watching the door, so he could have snuck in and back out again."

"Yeah?" said Gorou, "And you don't think it's more likely that one of the people  _already_ at the talent show took it?"

Homura looked puzzled, then gave a dramatic sigh and slumped over her podium. "Aw geez, this whole time I thought I had a perfect alibi, and now everyone at the show is a suspect."

Take rubbed his hands together and grinned. "And if it was someone at the show, that'd explain why the culprit stopped their plan to hide the body in the pond; they didn't know when it would end and people would see they were gone, or if they'd miss their performance."

"We can eliminate Kashie, because she came back on stage between every act, Homura because she was one stage when the cloth was taken, and Isao, because his act was basically right at 8:30," said Shiori, biting her lip.  _Geez, I'm a suspect…But who at the show could have done it…? No one missed their performances, so they must have timed it perfectly…_

"Don't forget Remy, since he has pictures of all the acts," added Kokoa.

Kashie glanced around the circle and cleared her throat several times, trying to catch everyone's attention. Finally Akiko said, "Whatever you wanna say Scaredy Bear, just spit it out!"

Kashie waved her hands in panic. "No! It's fine…I bet it's not important…and I don't want to cause trouble…"

Shiori contained a sigh but gave Kashie a comforting look. "Kashie, right now, anything could be important. I promise it won't be a trouble."

"But…I might...be implicating someone…" Kashie fiddled with the sleeves her bear coat.

"That makes it even more important!" said Akiko.

Take leaned over his podium to look at Kashie. "Hey, if it'll make you feel better, I promise I'll beat the crap out of anyone who gives you shit about it."

"Again! Can we  _not_  let this turn into a brawl?" said Mr. Saiki.

Take shrugged. "Fine! I'll just intimidate them and steal all their stuff."

Mr. Saiki sighed. "Do you have to make everything about stealing?"

Kashie swallowed, but finally drew herself up. "I, I, well it's just that, um, Hideyo!"

Hideyo whipped around to look at Kashie. "What? What about me?!"

"You…you uh…I only noticed after Homura finished her act but uh, you weren't backstage after that?" Kashie ducked her head so her hood covered her eyes.

Akiko's mouth dropped open and she brought a hand to her head. "Of course! When Scaredy Bear was doing the closing speech thing no one else was around to close the curtain! I had to do it!"

Shiori couldn't believe what she was hearing.  _She…she wasn't there? Why…?_

Ikeda chuckled. "Oh my, that does seem suspicious."

Hideyo's face went red. "Shut up! I was feeling sick, okay? You're not gonna try and pin this on me because I wasn't feeling well?"

"That excuse is worse than mine!" shouted Gorou, "Were you pushing so hard to vote for me so I could be your scapegoat?!"

"The same could be said of you right now!" Hideyo retorted, "Unless there's more evidence that could point to a certain person as the culprit, I'm just one suspect out of what, six? Seven if you count Ikeda, since his whereabouts before he showed up at the end of the show can't be confirmed. So don't you go accusing me of something so, so horrible! No no!"

 _More evidence that could lead to the culprit,_ thought Shiori,  _There must be something we're missing..._

* * *

NONSTOP DEBATE

START!

Truth Bullets: Blood on Haruto's Hand | Mysterious Note | Haruto's Puzzle Book | Monokuma File #1

IKEDA: Alright, Miss Painter, you want more evidence?

IKEDA: Then we'll discuss what else we know for sure about the culprit.

RIKA: You said  _they had to_   _be tall,_  right?

REMY: Several of the suspects at the show are taller than Haruto was.

KOKOA: Not super helpful on it's own then; what about the crime scene?

ISAO:  _Just the signs of struggle and the rocks_ …

HOMURA: The culprit did most of the fighting, right?

HOMURA: We don't even know if  _Haruto got a real hit in!_

TAKE: He was definitely a wimp, not gonna lie.

GOROU: Come on, there's got to be more than that!

Truth Bullet Selected: Blood on Haruto's Hand

SHIORI: No, that's wrong!

BREAK!

* * *

"Wait Homura, I think there is evidence that Haruto was able to injure the culprit," said Shiori. "When I examined Haruto's body, I found some blood on his right hand."

"Okay, so what?" asked Take, "Haruto had tons of blood on him; it could have just come from him trying to stop the bleeding. That's like, an instinctual thing."

"And a smart thing to do," added Mr. Saiki, "Seriously, slowing the bleeding of a wound can save your life."

Monokuma gave a dramatic sigh. "Geez, I know you're a mother hen type but come on! Upupupu, besides, stopping the bleeding won't help you if the murderer is still around. Here's a better piece of advice; if you're bleeding out, kill the culprit you before you die! Then we can have some proper action!"

"Or!" Mr. Saiki interrupted, "You could just run away! Also an option!"

"Hmm, not as action packed, but definitely adds to the suspense. Plus then we're less likely to deal with a situation where we don't have a culprit still alive at the trial. That's never fun."

"When is any of this fun!?" Gorou asked incredulously.

"Monokuma and Mr. Saiki got us off topic again…" said Remy.

Mr. Saiki slowly closed his mouth and gave a small gesture back to the group that Shiori took to mean, 'Sorry, go ahead.'

Shiori shook her head. "Okay, back to what I was saying. Look at exactly where the blood is; it's mostly on his thumb and palm right below the thumb. Why would the blood only be there if he was grabbing his head or shoulder or something?"

"Besides," Ikeda interjected, "We don't know if any of the injuries before the killing blow drew blood."

"And the alternative is…?" asked Gorou.

* * *

THINKING TIME

Where did the blood on Haruto's hand come from?

A: One of Haruto's wounds

_[B: A wound on the culprit]_

C: It's not blood

* * *

"I think Haruto injured the culprit with the knife," said Shiori, "Probably on the forearms since most people bring those up to defend their face, then he tried to grab their arm and got the culprit's blood on his hand."

"But he's right handed," Karen pointed out. "He could not hold the knife and grab his…assassinator simultaneously."

"It's not like the knife was doing him much good!" chuckled Take, "If he managed to bungle something as simple as stabbing someone."

"Stabbing someone is not as easy as it seems on T.V.," Ikeda pointed out, "The human body isn't exactly as easy to pierce as you might think."

"Also…he wasn't used to fighting or anything, right?" asked Kenji.

Remy nodded. "Nothing about him gave me the impression he had done much fighting in his life."

"Maybe he lost the knife at some point in the struggle?" Isao suggested.

"Yes!" exclaimed Shiori, "That must be it, and it's supported by another piece of evidence too!"

Hideyo crossed her arms. "Which is?"

* * *

Select Evidence: Baseball Bat

SHIORI: This is it!

* * *

"Remember how I pointed out that the baseball bat had a little notch in it from where the knife hit it?" Shiori looked at the picture on the Monopad again before continuing. "Maybe when the weapons met, the culprit was able to wrench the knife out of Haruto's grip while it was stuck to the bat."

"Woah, cool move!" said Homura.

"Disarming your opponent is a very effective strategy!" said Rika. "And a knife of that size and shape would be quite easy to hit away with something like a bat."

"Especially since no way Haruto actually knew how to fight with a knife or grip it correctly," added Take, "I know all there is to know about knife fights, being a bandit and all, but I tried to teach Seihiko and he nearly cut his finger off."

Seihiko frowned but muttered, "Yeah, I don't think it's too much of a stretch."

"So…all of this means…?" Remy said, trailing off.

"It means that Haruto probably injured the culprit in the fight," said Isao. "Even if the cuts weren't very deep, they wouldn't be healed by now…"

"So…we all just…just need to prove we don't have those injuries?" asked Kashie.

"That isn't fool proof," objected Kokoa, "What if someone coincidentally has similar injuries?"

"I can't think of many sorts of accidental injuries that would look like defensive cut wounds," said Akiko, "And I may not be a weird interrogator like Skull, or a freaking bandit, whatever that means outside of dumb western movies, but I've seen a lot of injuries."

Take put his hand over his heart. "Dear Lady, I am wounded! The life of a bandit if full of adventure and excitement!"

"Oh my God…" said Seihiko, putting his face in his hands.

Akiko's eyebrow twitched. "Dude, you're on thin ice. Shut up."

Ikeda gave Akiko and Take slight look, but simply said, "We can cross reference any person with injuries against everything else we know about the culprit. If there's enough overlap, we can reasonably assume we have the culprit."

" _Now wait just a minute!_ " shouted Hideyo. "I'm still not convinced that Haruto actually injured the culprit!'

"Really?" asked Kenji, "I think it makes sense…"

Shiori swallowed thickly.  _Why is Hideyo being so stubborn? Even if she's scared because she's a suspect, she should know more evidence will help her? Right…? But I need to convince her…_

* * *

REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN

START!

Truth Blades: Baseball Bat | Bloody Knife | Bloody Drag Marks | Bloody Footprints

HIDEYO: All of this is just circumstantial!

SLASH!

HIDEYO: The blood on Haruto's hand…

SLASH!

HIDEYO: …could have come from his wounds!

SLASH!

HIDEYO: Just because it's not on his whole hand…

SLASH!

HIDEYO: …does not mean your theory is correct!

ADVANCE!

SHIORI: Okay, but just because it's circumstantial…

SHIORI: …doesn't mean we can just dismiss the theory!

HIDEYO: Theories should be based on solid evidence!

SLASH!

HIDEYO: In case you all forgot…

SLASH!

HIDEYO: ...our lives are at stake here!

SLASH!

HIDEYO: Haruto was not skilled enough with the knife…

SLASH!

HIDEYO: …to have actually  _drawn blood from the culprit in the fight!_  No no!

Truth Blade Selected: Bloody Knife

SHIORI: I'll cut through your words!

BREAK!

* * *

"Hideyo, you were with me when we found the knife! You saw that it has blood on it!" Shiori cried out, confusion lacing her voice. "How else could the blood have gotten on the knife?"

Hideyo tensed up and sputtered, "I, well, it could have—"

"Wow, you are bad at this," said Ikeda, "If you really want to dissuade the group's suspicions, just show us that you have no injuries that match the defensive wounds. Plus? Forgetting a key piece of evidence you should have known? Very sloppy."

"Don't talk to me like that!" Hideyo shouted. Then she turned to Shiori. "Please, Shiori, Isao, this all just so stressful! I know I'm being weird, but I'm just scared! You're my friends; you've gotta believe me!"

Isao looked at Hideyo, mouth slightly open and eyebrows furrowed. He looked around the circle, then back to her. Slowly he closed her mouth and gave a tiny nod.

Hideyo clapped her hands. "Oh, thank you so much Isao! I knew I could believe in you!"

Now both of them turned to Shiori. She felt her guts turn to ice.  _What do I do? What should I do? Do I push her? She couldn't be the culprit, right? So it wouldn't matter…? God, but could she? I don't know what to do…_

She heard the conversation continue around her as her thoughts kept spiraling.

"Look, it's only fair if all the potential suspects show they don't have any injuries," said Kokoa.

Rika immediately held up her arms. "I have nothing, see?"

Seihiko pushed up his sleeves. "Neither do I. Besides, my cloths would be ripped up."

"Same with mine," said Take as he showed his uninjured arms.

"Ditto!" Akiko added. Her arms were also free of injuries.

Remy and Kenji showed their uninjured arms in silence. In a daze, Shiori held up hers as well. The only potential suspects left were Ikeda, Gorou, and Hideyo.

Gorou glanced at the other two. He bit his lip. "I'm in the same boat as Seihiko. You can see my clothes aren't ripped or bloody or anything, so let's move on."

"But maybe you weren't wearing that jacket when you were attacked! And is that even the only jacket you have?" accused Hideyo. "Why are you refusing?!"

Something about Hideyo's comment brought Shiori out of her spiraling thoughts. "Wait…Monokuma? Did everyone only get a little bag of clothes like I did?"

Monokuma seemed startled, but he replied, "Well, yes! I didn't want to waste time or money on getting you brats a bunch of clothes, so you all have like, two or three changes of shirts and underwear and crap, but stuff like jackets and accessories don't need to be washed after every use, so only one of those kinda things!"

Akiko glanced around and then gave Monokuma a look. "Do you actually think we've done any laundry while we've been here? It's only been like, four days. Plus, we're teenagers. Honestly, I think most of us are wearing the same thing as yesterday, at least on the outside."

 _This…this changes things!_ Shiori realized,  _There's something else that can prove who the culprit is! But…it also means…_

* * *

NON-STOP DEBATE

START!

Truth Bullets: Remy's Photos (Before Show) | Remy's Photo's (During Show) | Ikeda's Account | Kokoa's Account

GOROU: See? My jacket's fine,  _so_   _I_   _can't be the culprit!_

HIDEYO: Until you show us all of your clothes…

HIDEYO: …you can't prove your innocence!

KENJI: What if he… _took off his jacket_ before he was attacked _?_

KENJI: Then there'd be no damage or blood…

KASHIE: Wait…wasn't the culprit taken by surprise?

KASHIE: They…they couldn't have  _known they'd be attacked_ …

IKEDA: Of course! And the laundry room is in the mess hall, which closes at night!

IKEDA: The culprit might still  _have blood stains on their clothes!_

HOMURA: Who'd walk around with bloodstained clothes?

TAKE: Only someone desperate or dumb…

Truth Bullet Selected: Remy's Photos (Before Show)

SHIORI: I agree with that!

BREAK!

* * *

"Ikeda, that's it!" Shiori slammed her hands down dramatically on her podium. "We can check people's clothes for bloodstains! We can compare what people have on now with Remy's photos from before the show! Then no one has to feel bad about not sharing."

"Are we sure the culprit couldn't have just changed clothes?" asked Seihiko.

"All of the suspects are wearing a jacket or something else they only have one of according to Monokuma," replied Ikeda, "And since we found the body in the morning before the mess hall opened, the culprit would not have had time to wash their clothes."

Slowly Remy's photos from before the show began to cycle on the monitor. As they passed Shiori studied them carefully, even as a horrible feeling began to grow in her gut.

"But I haven't seen any blood on anybody today!" said Rika.

Karen nodded. "Surely we should have noticed if someone was walking around with such…garish marks on them."

"There is one person…" said Ikeda. He looked across the circle at Shiori and Isao. "You two know who I mean, don't you?"

Isao turned to Shiori, swallowed thickly, then stepped back. 'I can't,' his eyes seemed to say.

Shiori turned back to everyone, hands balled into fists at her sides.  _I…I have to do this…it can only be..._

* * *

SELECT A PERSON!

Shiori Miura

Isao Iwaka

Kokoa Uzumaki

Kashie Hatsume

Takeo Ikeda

_[Hideyo Mitsugi]_

Take Muto

Seihiko Ginnaga

Homura Ideki

Kenji Ikeda

Rika Ohara

Remy Lander

Akiko Katsumi

Gorou Ishikawa

Karen Oshiro

Haruto Hanko

* * *

Shiori drew in a sharp breath, then blurted out, "Hideyo, are all of the stains on your kimono paint?"

Hideyo gaped. Eventually she found her voice, but it was choked with tears. "Shiori! You, you think I did this? I thought we were friends! How could you!? I would never do this! I could never hurt someone."

"But all the evidence lines up," said Ikeda cooly, "Your height, your lack of alibi, your refusal to show us you have no injuries. Even your behavior earlier in the trial is suspicious."

"And I may not be super observant," Take added, pointing to the photo of Hideyo and Mr. Saiki hanging up the backdrop, "But I can definitely see you have more red on your sleeves and front now than you did then."

"You shut up! That's all just circumstantial!" Hideyo protested, tugging on her sleeves. "That's… that's from painting last night! There's nothing that definitively proves it was me!" She turned back to Shiori again. "Shiori, please! Don't let Ikeda fool you! Remember all of those good times we had together? You can't through those away!"

Suddenly Isao looked up at Hideyo. "Why did you leave during the show…? You said…you were so excited about running things backstage. You volunteered for it!"

"I told you, I started feeling sick! So…so I left the show to go paint in the art center for a while!" Hideyo stood up straighter. "Yes yes! I went to work on my red dahlia painting! You've seen it! I showed it to you a few days ago. You know I'm not making it up."

Everyone else in the circle was staring at Hideyo, Isao, and Shiori. They seemed to be waiting. Shiori caught sight of Mr. Saiki in the corner of her eye; he looked stunned, gripping the edges of the stool.

Shiori looked back at Hideyo.  _This is it._  "I…I'm sorry but…I know you're lying!"

* * *

ARGUMENT ARMEMENT

START!

HIDEYO: I couldn't be the culprit!

HIDEYO: This is all just circumstance.

HIDEYO: I'd never hurt anyone!

SHIORI:  _It can't just be circumstance…_

HIDEYO: Shiori, you're my friend!

HIDEYO: We spent so much time together!

HIDEYO: So why are you accusing me?

HIDEYO: I thought you knew me better…

SHIORI:  _So did I, but…_

HIDEYO: Don't listen to the others!

HIDEYO: They're just ganging up on me.

HIDEYO: They want a stupid scapegoat!

HIDEYO: You know I would never do this…

HIDEYO: And you know I'm not a liar!

HIDEYO: So just stop this!

SHIORI:  _I'm so sorry, Hideyo…!_

HIDEYO: Why do you think I'm lying, Shiori?!

[YOU CAN'T PAINT IN THE WRONG LIGHT]

BREAK!

* * *

"You couldn't have been painting at night! The light is all wrong!" Shiori exclaimed, shouting threw the tears now running down her cheeks. "Just a few days ago, you said you couldn't work on that particular painting in the  _late afternoon_  because the light was wrong! I may not know a lot about painting, but I know that artificial light would be even worse. I…I do know you, Hideyo. You take pride in your work! You wouldn't compromise it, even if it was to make yourself feel better when you were sick!"

Hideyo stood in stunned silence, her mouth just slightly open in shock.

Isao shook his head, fists tight at his sides. "Hideyo, why…? Why can't you just show us you're uninjured and prove it wasn't you? Why are you fighting like this?"

"Because you're all ganging up on me!" Hideyo retorted, her voice becoming venomous. "I see now our time spent together was wasted! You're all just…stupid! Stupid stupid stupid! You're all gonna die if you vote for me! So just stop it!"

Suddenly, Ikeda and Take nodded to each other, grabbed Hideyo's arms, and began wrestling to get her sleeves up. "What are you doing?! Let go of me!" Hideyo shouted.

"Since you are unwilling to show us whether or not you have injuries," said Ikeda, "It's simpler to just—"

"Hey!" shouted Mr. Saiki, jumping out of his seat, snapped out of whatever strange stupor he'd been in, "Rough housing is against the rules and I—!"

He stopped when he saw Hideyo's now exposed forearms. They were covered with bandages, a few hints of red bleeding through.

"There you have it!" declared Take, "Looks like we got our killer."

Homura, Seihiko, and Rika all gasped. Kashie hid her face with her hood, unable to face the situation. Remy frowned sadly, while Kenji and Kokoa simply gaped.

"What the actual fuck?" said Akiko.

Karen stared at Hideyo. "This is…I didn't think…"

Gorou somehow looked both hurt and furious. "You…you actually wanted to frame me before! God, what the hell? We all would have died! You killed him and were willing to let us die too so you could—"

"I didn't know that then!" Hideyo blurted out. Immediately she covered her mouth; Ikeda and Take released their grips.

Tears ran down Isao's cheeks. "Why…? Hideyo, what happened? How did this happen?"

Hideyo slowly lowered her hands and let her arms fall to her sides. "I…I don't wanna say it…"

"Well someone needs to say it!" Monokuma suddenly shouted, disrupting the tense, somber mood. "We need a rundown of how the whole case went down! Otherwise no one will get what the hell happened!"

"I'll do it," murmured Shiori. She wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'll give you your stupid recap!"

* * *

CLOSING ARGUMENT

ACT 1

_It all started with the victim, Haruto Hanko. With the introduction of Monokuma's motive, he was becoming desperate to escape; the rule regarding the fate of everyone else when the blackened escaped hadn't been revealed, so maybe he thought the sacrifice of one person was necessary? We'll never know…_

_What we do know is Haruto created a plan to murder someone. He chose two targets: Gorou Ishikawa, and the culprit. He secretly gave each of them a note, written on paper torn out of his puzzle book, telling them to meet at the pond; the culprit was to meet at 8:30, and Gorou at nighttime. Then he took a kitchen knife and waited to set his plan in motion._

ACT 2

_When the culprit got the note, they decided to deal with the situation by themselves. During the talent show, they were meant to stay backstage and man the curtain, so they knew they wouldn't be easily missed. While Homura performed on stage, they took down the masking curtain from the backstage door, probably to make it easier get to the pond unnoticed in the dark. What they didn't know was that Kashie, the show's M.C., had noticed their absence. Before reaching the pond, they also grabbed a baseball bat from the sports shed._

ACT 3

_Even though they had a weapon, the culprit was still surprised by Haruto's attack. Haruto managed to injure the culprit with the knife, but before long the culprit blocked the knife with the bat, and used it to throw the knife out of Haruto's reach. He tried to grab the culprit's arm, but the culprit attacked. It was pure instinct; the culprit just kept attacking until Haruto stopped moving._

_At this point the culprit realized what they had done and began trying to cover up the scene. They found rocks nearby, and they planned to use them to weigh down the body so it would sink into the pond once it was wrapped in the cloth. However, the culprit stopped their preparation when they remembered the talent show would be ending soon; they had to return or they'd be noticed as missing. They snuck back into the mess hall just as the show ended, with no one but Kashie having known they had left at all._

ACT 4

_While the culprit was busy trying to divert suspicion, Gorou was acting on his own note. He headed to the pond around the begining of nighttime, with Kokoa catching a glimpse of him as he went. When he reached the pond, he found Haruto's body, along with the abandoned rocks and cloth. Gorou feared the culprit would return to dispose of the body, so he put the body on the cloth and dragged it away, leaving bloody drag marks and footprints behind. I'm not sure why, but he decided to hang up the body using the flagpole. Maybe as a warning to the culprit? Whatever the reason, that was where we found the body the next morning._

_What I am sure of is who the culprit of this case is. And even though it hurts me to say it…It has to be you, Hideyo Mitsugi!_

BREAK!

* * *

The whole circle looked to Hideyo. After a moment, she simply crossed her arms, her lip trembling just a bit. With that, Monokuma burst out laughing. "Alrighty! I'm satisfied. Let's get to the vote! Plug in your Monopads and the voting screen will appear."

"Wait!" said Shiori, "Hideyo hasn't had a chance to explain herself!"

"We can do that after you vote!" Monokuma snapped, "That's what the post-vote time is for! Now then! It's Voting Time!"

 _Why are you so particular about the order we do things!?_ Shiori thought as she plugged in her Monopad. When she did a screen with everyone's names and photos appeared. After a second of hesitation, Shiori clicked Hideyo's picture. A few more seconds past and the app closed.

"Well! Everyone's votes are in!" said Monokuma, "Let's see who you all voted for!"

A simple list of everyone's name popped up on the monitor. Beside Hideyo's name were fourteen tally marks. The fifteenth tally was beside Gorou's name.

"Now I shall reveal the identity of the blackened!" Monokuma announced. "Did you all make the right choice? Or the  _horrifically_  wrong one!"

A roulette wheel graphic replaced the list, each student's name spinning past until it finally slowed, landing on 'Hideyo Mitsugi.' The screen filled with a cheap confetti graphic and shrill trumpet sounds blared through the room. "Upupu! Looks like you got it right! The blackened in this case is none other than Hideyo Mitsugi, the Penultimate Painter!"

Once again silence reigned in the room. No one seemed to know what to say. Surprisingly, Rika was the first one to talk. "So...what do we do now?"

"I recall Monokuma mentioning an execution," said Ikeda. Hideyo flinched.

"Nope! Not yet!" snapped Shiori, "He said we would have time for Hideyo explain herself after we voted, so that has to happen!"

"I thought it was pretty clear, though?" asked Homura.

Seihiko nodded. "Yeah, she killed Haruto out of self defense."

"A tragical moment of panic," said Karen.

"I think…what Shiori wants to know is…why Hideyo didn't come forward…" said Remy.

"Well, by the time the investigation started she knew she would die if she was found out!" said Akiko.

"And during the trial she needed a scapegoat; Rika, me, whoever," said Gorou.

Take turned to Hideyo and scoffed. "Also, did you seriously spite-vote for Gorou? There's no way that was gonna work."

Hideyo shrugged. "I had to vote for someone, and I'm not gonna contribute to my own sentencing…"

"Why didn't you tell us what happened?!" exclaimed Isao, voice tight in his throat. "Were you…why would you throw us all under the bus to try to escape the trial when you didn't mean to kill him?! Why…?" He wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to stop his shaking.

"I didn't wanna die!" shouted Hideyo. "Who would willingly let themselves be killed when they could escape?"

Everyone shuffled their feet. Finally, Kenji murmured, "But is that all there is to it…?"

"Your desperation during the trial seemed like more than just self preservation," Kokoa added.

Shiori stepped forward. "Please…if I don't know, I don't think I'll ever stop wondering, and…I don't want your memory to be any more…complicated than it's already gonna be…"

Hideyo looked around, then finally sighed. "Okay...Fine. Honestly? It was the motive."

Gorou looked shocked, while Ikeda's mouth twitched into a smile before returning to his neutral expression.

"So you just wanted to get rich?" asked Take.

"No no!" Hideyo protested. "I…God, I…my family's in debt. Badly…my parents were always so supportive of my painting, so they helped me get into an arts high school on scholarship. It was wonderful, but then my dad lost his job, and we couldn't keep up with the tuition. Before I came here, I didn't know what I was gonna do! Everything seemed so…hopeless. But with that kit…I could make enough money for all of us! We'd be happy again! But…I messed everything up…And I guess, it is better, like this? You found me out, fair and square. And now you all get to keep going…And it's not like my parents will have to deal with me anymore, right?" She wiped at the tears in her eyes.

"Don't say that," Mr Saiki said. "I'm sure they will be heartbroken when they learn what's happened."

"Yeah, heartbroken to learn that their daughter is a murderer," Hideyo muttered bitterly, "Maybe…maybe I deserve this…"

"No!" said Mr. Saiki. Everyone turned to look at him. Shiori almost gasped.  _Why is he…?_

"I mean, in a normal court, you'd still get punished for lying, and concealing evidence, maybe manslaughter…" Mr. Saiki looked up, eyes focused on Monokuma. "But she'd be put in jail. Not executed."

"That's right…" said Isao, "This is overkill…"

Akiko scoffed. "You're pretty lenient towards someone who actively tried to get us all killed by voting for the wrong person!"

"Not that she did a particularly good job misdirecting us," Ikeda pointed out.

"Why would she be able to do a good job?" said Seihiko, "I mean, we're all just teenagers, not super villains or criminals or something…"

"Yes!" Shiori exclaimed. "We shouldn't even be put in this sort of situation. What Hideyo did was wrong, but none of this would have happened if it weren't for you, Monokuma!"

"But it  _did_  still happen!" Monokuma snapped back. "Two of you're precious friends couldn't resist the temptation. And I know more will follow suit! Trust me, I know how to push people. It's my job! Upupu!"

"Can we just get on with this?" said Hideyo. Her gaze had hardened and she'd stopped crying. "I know this all a…a show to you or something, but I don't want anything to do with it. And everybody? Don't fall for this stupid bear's crap. I didn't know the full situation, but you do. You don't have an excuse! So get out of here together!"

Shiori nodded tensely. "We will. I promise we will!"

Isao put his hand on Shiori's shoulder. "You can count on us."

"Now then, I've prepared an extra  _special_  punishment for Hideyo Mitsugi, the Penultimate Painter!" Monokuma clapped in delight.

Hideyo went pale. "Wait, I thought this was just gonna be lethal injection or electric chair or something! What the heck does 'special' mean?!"

Monokuma continued, unperturbed. "Let's give it everything we've got! It's punishment time!"

* * *

HIDEYO MITSUGI HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY!

COMMENCING EXECUTION

_A horrible creek come from the ceiling and before anyone could move a giant metal claw descended and snatched up Hideyo around the waist. She screamed and began struggling as the claw carried her toward a giant door opening to the left._

PENULTIMATE PAINTER HIDEYO MITSUGI'S EXECUTION:

THE PERFECT CANVAS

_As the claw came to a stop, dozens of brightly colored air guns appeared. For second everything was still, but then one gun fired and hit Hideyo in the shoulder, exploding in a burst of neon green paint. Soon all of the guns were pelting her with paint balls. She flinched as the balls broke her unprotected skin. Only when Hideyo was completely covered in paint and blood did the guns stop. She panted, looking around. Was it over?_

_Her question was soon answered as a glass tank rose out of the ground. The claw finally released Hideyo and she dropped into the tank. Before she could even stand up a metal lid closed over the top and she was trapped. She rushed to the side of the tank facing the rest of the students and banged her hands against the glass._

_Suddenly there was a low rumbling from under the floor. Hideyo looked down and saw that thick green paint was seeping into the tank from below. Immediately Hideyo began banging against the glass again. Although the glass blocked her voice, everyone knew she was screaming. The paint rose faster and faster. Soon Hideyo was treading water in the paint, but the weight of her already soaked clothes threatened to pull her under. She managed to struggle out of her kimono, but by then she was inches from the metal lid. Hideyo took one last desperate breath, and she disappeared under the paint._


	10. Chapter 1 (part 7)

Reijirou had lost count of how many moments of shocked silence there had been during this whole ordeal, but at least this one was short. His stomach churned, but he managed to avoid vomiting again. From the sound of things, a few of the students hadn't succeeded. Homura shuffled away from the corner she'd thrown up in, her face red and puffy from crying. Surprisingly, Reijirou also saw Akiko attempting to clean her mouth and avoid her own vomit.  _I guess everyone has a limit to what they can stomach,_ he thought. Kenji wobbled on his feet, with a pale and wide-eyed Remy holding him up. Kashie desperately held one hand to her stomach and the other to her mouth. Kokoa was turned away from the scene, holding herself with shaking arms. Rika thankfully hadn't fainted again, but she seemed to frozen, staring blankly at the ground. Karen stood beside her, a tentative hand on her shoulder, but she was also shaking. Seihiko clenched and unclenched his fists. Ikeda looked absolutely furious and he glared directly at Monokuma. Shiori and Isao clung to each other.

"Woooo! A dramatic finish to our first trial!" crowed Monokuma.

"What the hell…?" said Take. He'd taken off his hat and was running his hand through his hair.

"Do you get off on this shit?!" shouted Gorou. "There's no way that was necessary! Drowning is already a cruel way to die, and you found a way to make it worse! In fact, aren't you trying to get us to kill each other? Who the hell would try after seeing that?"

Monokuma waggled his finger. "Ah ah ah! If someone's really determined, then seeing this will just make them try harder not to be caught! Which means a more dramatic game for me! Also! My preferences are none of your business. Be glad I keep them to myself."

"...You're fucked up, dude," said Akiko.

"I agree," said Ikeda, the amount of venom and hatred in his own shocking Reijirou. "You are truly one of the most heinous people I have ever met."

"Really?" said Monokuma with fake surprise. "Well considering the sorta people you've worked with, I should be honored!"

Ikeda looked startled, but remained silent.

"Can we...I mean, are we done here?" asked Isao.

Monokuma shrugged. "I mean, technically, but feel free to stick around and talk about all your complex feelings about this! It's literally the reason Mr. Saiki is here. But for me, I am done-zo! See ya later, bastards! Upupu!" With that, Monokuma jumped off the back of the judge's desk and disappeared.

Immediately Reijirou realized everyone was now looking at him. He put on his calm, teacher face.  _Hope it's convincing, because wow I can't believe I'm not hyperventilating right now._ "So uh…while I do want to have a chance for people to talk about all this, I think we shouldn't do that…here. Why don't we all head back up, and if you want to talk in a group, stick around the fire pit? If you're not comfortable with that, or if you need time alone, please feel don't feel like you have to stay. I'll be ready any time to talk about this."

"Don't have to tell me twice," said Akiko, heading straight to the elevator.

Everyone filed in and begun their return to the surface. After a few more tense minutes the group finally exited the elevator and stepping back into the light. Immediately Ikeda, Akiko, and Gorou began walking back to towards the cabins. A moment later Remy led a still shaky Kenji away, with Karen and Kokoa trailing behind.

Take started to leave, but turn back to look at Seihiko and Homura. "You coming?"

"Oh yeah, 'course…" said Homura, snapping out of her own thoughts.

Seihiko looked back Reijirou before turning to Take. "I uh, think I'll stay? Just for a bit; I'll come find you after."

"But then you'll miss our special secret friend group feelings jam or whatever." Take wrapped his hand around Homura's shoulder and began walking.

Seihiko faltered. "No, I...I mean, I'll come." He gave a sheepish smile to Reijirou. "It's not like we can't have more group talks later?"

Reijirou bit his lip.  _Take is getting pushy and I don't like it, but I did say it was optional._ "Of course, feel free to come by any time."

With that the trio finally headed out. Shiori, Isao, and Kashie sat down on some of the logs. Reijirou joined them, then looked to where Rika was still standing where she'd exited the elevator. "Do you wanna join us?"

Rika jolted, as if she hadn't realized what had been going before now. "Oh…no thank you!" Some of her cheerfulness had returned, but it felt different now. Not forced, but changed in some way. "I don't really know what I'm feeling right now so how could I talk about it?"

"That's a perfectly normal reaction to a stressful situation," said Reijirou, "But like I told Seihiko, if you want to talk later just come find me."

"Okay!" said Rika, who immediately began walking very quickly away.

Reijirou turn back to the group, which, he admitted, was a bit smaller than he hoped, but at least a few had stayed.  _This is just a standard group therapy for handling grief, not too complicated…they're just, grieving people who got murdered…never mind Reijirou move on or you'll get stuck in that thought and that helps no one._ "So, just to be clear, this just a space to share what we're feeling right now. We're not gonna judge how we're taking things, because everyone handles things differently…Not that I think any of you would! This is just to start processing things. So, uh, does anyone want to start?"

Surprisingly, the first to speak was Kashie. "What…what do you, uh, think would've happened if I…if I hadn't said anything? About Hideyo not…being backstage?" She'd pulled her knees and hugged them close to herself, leaving her almost entirely covered by her coat.

"Honestly? I think we would have come to the correct conclusion eventually," said Isao. "Hideyo was…was already gonna be a possible suspect, and with that stunt Take and Ikeda pulled, we got our proof, so…"

"But," Reijirou cut in, "Either way, I think it was best that you did share, Kashie. In this sort of…situation, it can feel like pointing out evidence that helps convict someone if the same as condemning them, but it's not."  _Because it's Monokuma fault,_ he finished internally.

Kashie remained silent for a moment. "...It still feels bad. I should have been paying attention...if, if I had, maybe I could've…I don't know…"

"If anyone should have stopped her it's us!" said Isao, standing up and beginning to pace. "We're her friends, there must have been something we could have said—"

Suddenly Shiori gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

Reijirou quickly scooted over to her. "Shiori, what's the matter?"

"The day it happened," she started, "I told her— I told her to watch out for Haruto, because I'd run into him the night before, and he got angry at me, and that's why she took the bat and why she didn't tell us about the note 'cause she didn't want to worry me and god this is my fault—" Shiori choked on her tumbling words as she began sobbing in earnest.

Isao rushed over to Shiori's other side and wrapped her in a tight hug. Kashie stood up and shuffled over, cautiously putting her hands on her shoulders. Reijirou stuck to setting a hand on her arm. "It wasn't your fault," Reijirou said, keeping his soft and gentle, "We can't know exactly why Hideyo reacted in the way she did, even with what she told us. But even if we knew for sure that what you said affected her way of thinking, it still wouldn't be your fault. Hideyo's choices were hers. She's the only one responsible for what she did."

Shiori whipped her dripping nose and sniffled. "But I was taking the lead…she trusted my advice. And as a leader I should have done a better job making sure Haruto was okay. If I had maybe he wouldn't have…" She threw up her hands. "Aren't leaders responsible for what the people they're leading do?"

Reijirou gulped.  _Why didn't I think of this when I gave her leadership advice? Because I didn't think anyone would actually kill, or it just didn't occur to me? Crap, I need to say something._ "Well…okay, here's the thing; for your friends, you're a leader by example, a leader because people like you and trust you. Not a leader appointed and given responsibility by some bigger authority. There's no higher person you have to answer to. Not me, not Monokuma, not anyone outside." Shiori took a shuddering breath and leaned into Isao and Kashie. "No one else should blame you. If they do, they're wrong."

"And if they try, we'll be right there to say they're wrong," said Isao, "Shiori…you are a sweet and compassionate person, not to mention confident in social situations. It makes you a natural leader, or even just a guide or example to strive for…everyone just has to decide for themselves if they want to follow your lead, just like it's everyone choice how they…handle what Monokuma throws at us."

Shiori hiccuped. "You…you really think that?"

"Yeah, I do."

"...So do I," murmured Kashie. "You make me want to…to be more confident, and…get to know people, so…you shouldn't feel bad…"

"Heh, thank you…so much." Shiori smiled and sniffled again.

Reijirou smiled back. "You're welcome." The group sat quietly together for a time. Not like one of the tense silences of the trial, but a contented silence, the kind that comes from simply enjoying the presence of another person.

Eventually, Isao broke the silence. "...Can we even trust people here? I mean, I trust you, Shiori, but I trusted Hideyo too but...uh that sounds bad, I should just—"

"No no, it's an understandable feeling," said Reijirou, "Someone you trusted did something you never expected. It's a destabilizing feeling."

"...Hideyo never told you about her money problems, right?" asked Kashie.

Isao looked back at her, startled. "You're right; she didn't…"

"So she was already a…private person, even towards people she liked. So maybe it… makes sense she didn't tell you."

"We're still getting to know each other," said Shiori. "As we get to know everyone, we'll be able to better understand why they do what they do."

"Even then, you'll never be able to fully know anyone's reasoning as well as you know your own," mused Reijirou. "That's part of life…"

Shiori stood up. "But I do want to understand what I can. And I'm gonna start with Gorou…because he doesn't have anyone right now, and that…it worries me. And I know it's not my responsibility or anything but…I want to. Does that make sense?"

Reijirou stood as well. "Yeah. It might not be easy; there are people who take a long time to really open up. Just be patient and supportive. Knowing a person isn't just knowing…things that happened to them or how they think. Like, I could describe exactly how one my co-workers talks and that she loves matcha flavored things, but I couldn't tell you where she's from or even if she has any siblings."

The three students looked a bit puzzled. Suddenly Shiori snickered. "Mr. Saiki, that does sounds like good advice but…also like you are just kind of awkward and remember really random things about people."

Reijirou coughed and said, "Well, uh…Either way, I wish you luck. So, is there anything else, or are we ready to head back?" Everyone glanced around, but when no one said anything else, Reijirou just clapped his hands. "Great! I think this was a good talk, but just remember this is gonna be a process. Don't feel like you have to be completely…okay with things yet."

"Sure…" said Isao. "How about we all walk back to the cabins?"

The walk to the cabins was short. Kashie split off first. Isao was next, and when he carefully opened his cabin door and glanced in he turned back to Shiori. "Gorou isn't here…"

Shiori bit her lip. "I guess it would be better to talk to him later anyway."

"I certainly just want to take some time to process…that," said Isao, "And maybe get some food; I don't think we've eaten today."

"That's right!" realized Reijirou, "We found the body in the morning, and then right from the investigation to the trial, and now it's afternoon…I'm gonna make sure everyone gets some food."

Shiori and Isao looked at each other, then she said, "I think I'm gonna wait a bit on food, but thanks, Mr. Saiki."

Reijirou waved them goodbye and started for the mess hall. He went to his office first, just to planning to make a list of what kind of foods to make.  _If I stop doing things at this point I think I'll either pass out or break down crying, and neither of those are what I want to be doing right now. I'll cry after everyone has food._ However, just as he had sat down and pulled out his paper and pen, he heard the T.V. click on. Immediately he groaned.  _I do not need this right now…_

"Alright fellow faculty!" said Monokuma, "I say it's time for a debriefing on how the trial went!"

"What does that even mean?" snapped Reijirou. "We were both there for it; we know what happened."

"Oh, looks like someone's getting testy! But it's still important for us to share our observations! You tell me who's already on the edge so I can give them the right…push."

Reijirou froze.  _Shit. Shit shit shit. No, crap, I'm not gonna help him get these kids to kill each other! How do I deflect, crap—_

Monokuma giggled. "Come on, you didn't think I wouldn't call on your skills in understanding these bastards' behavior? I'm good at picking up the obvious stuff, but we're gonna need more than that! That first motive was easy pickings! Knowing the kind of students I was gonna have, it was basically a gimme! It's not like I don't have some motives in mind, but c'mon! I need more to go off of."

"Well, um…" Reijirou gulped. "I'm not sure exactly what's gonna be helpful for you but…uh…Shiori and Isao are obviously pretty torn up about this; Hideyo was their friend so…"

"I literally just said I can get the obvious stuff! Give me something juicy!"

 _Double crap._ "Well, uh…I think Rika has some…unresolved issues around violence. I mean, I'm not really sure what her uh, 'gladiator' work entailed, but she has some repressed feelings about that need to be addressed."  _Unless I'm wrong, if we can just get her some support she should be fine. Karen seems to be growing closer to her, and she's been participating in some group activities…_

Monokuma pondered for a second. "Hmm, you're right! Her whole mess is definitely gonna cause some drama when it comes to a head…but I wanna save that for a bit later! What else?"

Reijirou wracked his brain, trying to think of something else to say that would satisfy the bear without putting someone at high risk.  _I have so many thoughts about Ikeda that I could write a book and that honestly makes me want Monokuma to stay the hell away from him…What else?_ "So…this is a more general observation, but it seems like most of the students are pretty secretive, and not just in the sense of keeping private. I could mention a few specifically that I think have…rather important secrets, but…I'm sure you've already noticed…?"

"Oh yeah! Now we're talking! I definitely know what you mean. Like Gorou? That kid is a massive bundle of issues! Seriously, he is so easy to goad! It already made this case more interesting. I can't wait to push him further."

Reijirou slowly stood. "Wait a second; what does that mean?"

"Whatever are you talking about?" Monokuma singsonged.

"You said it made the  _case_ more interesting, not the trial…did you talk to Gorou when he was moving Haruto's body?!"  _Is that why he was so evasive about his reasons for hanging up the body?!_ Reijirou's expression hardened. "I think you have at least as much of a handle on things as I do. So if that's all you wanted, I'm going to make some food."

Before Monokuma could say another word, he walked into his room and closed the door behind him. He took a shuddering breath to calm the building rage within him. Once he felt calm enough to not just immediately rant at whoever he ran into, he headed into the main mess hall. He saw that Rika and Isao had already gotten some food, although it looked like Isao had grabbed most of the leftovers from the past few days. Reijirou nodded to them. Only Rika nodded back; Isao was too busy with his food. Then he moved on into the kitchen.

Reijirou immediately threw himself into cooking. He chose to make onigiri, because they were portable but are also still okay when eaten later.  _Operation: comfort food is go. Now where are the bonito flakes…_ He poked his head into the fridge, but no luck. He turned to try one of the walk in fridges when he saw the last one was propped open with a box of frozen hamburgers. "What in the…?"

Poking his head through the opening, he saw Gorou huddled on the ground, his head resting on his pulled up knees. Gorou snapped up, and Reijirou saw a few tears prickling at the corners of his eyes.

"Go away! I'm not doing you're touchy-feely bullshit!" Gorou rubbed at his eyes to wipe away the tears.

Reijirou paused for a moment, then stepped over the box and sat down in front of it. "We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with, but do you mind telling me why you're hanging out in here? It's…kinda cold."

"That's the point, dumb ass. Plus people don't come in here often, other than Kokoa, and she only uses the first couple freezers…"

"Alright…" Reijirou pondered what to say next.  _He really needs to talk about this, but I can't force him, and I doubt he trusts me…_ Finally he said, "Do you…wanna help me make onigiri? I find simple repetitive tasks help distract me from…things that are hard to deal with, until it's a bit less raw."

Gorou gave him a strange look, but after a moment he said, "Sure. Just don't try to make me talk about feelings or anything."

The two exited the freezer (with the bonito flakes), and set to work shaping and wrapping the onigiri. When Reijirou glanced over to look at Gorou's work, he saw they were incredibly neat; each little rice ball was in a perfect triangle with the seaweed securely wrapped. "Good job. Where did you learn to make onigiri?"

Gorou shrugged. "Did it with my brothers when I was little. But I didn't get good at it until later."

"More practice?"

"Yeah, 'cause I was making them by myself…" Gorou pounded the rice more fiercely between his hands.

Reijirou kept his surprise at Gorou's response to himself.  _Tread carefully, or he might clam up again…_ "That's a shame. I always find it's more fun to cook with other people. Maybe you could ask Kokoa if you two could cook together."

"Nope. She's way too protective of her recipes. I saw Homura try and ask what was in her chocolate, and she glared so hard it felt colder than the freezer. And no one else really cooks all that much. So, alone it is…" Gorou trailed off, pursing his lips. His eyes shone with unshed tears.

Reijirou put down the half formed onigiri in his hand. "Look, I understand it's hard to be in a place where you don't feel safe. Where you don't trust others. But even at times like this you really shouldn't isolate yourself. That doesn't mean you have to be super open about things you don't want to talk about, but it would still—"

Gorou scoffed. "Hah! Like anyone would even want to hang out with me now. Sure, Shiori helped me out during the trial, but that was just save everyone. Why would she hang out with a freak who strings people's corpses up on flagpoles?"

"You're not a freak," Reijirou said, "Whatever happened that made you decide it was necessary—"

"It wasn't fucking necessary!" Gorou shouted. "I was scared out of my goddamn mind someone was gonna think I killed him, and why wouldn't they? One loner freaks kills another loner freak. So I just started dragging the body away on the cloth as fast as I could, trying to get as far away as possible so the killer wouldn't come back and screw it all up. I get to flagpole and my lungs are killing me so I stop, then that fucking bear shows up! And he's talking about how if no one finds the body we won't have a trial, and that pisses me off because no way am I letting the sick fuck who killed someone get away with it. I didn't know that meant the culprit would die too! Then he's talking about how fun the investigation will be, and how eventually everyone stops thinking of the corpse as a person, just a piece of evidence, and that pisses me off even more! Like hell was I gonna let anyone, especially the killer, forget how fucked up this situation was. So I just, grabbed the rope from the flagpole and tied the body to it and…God, it was so stupid! I could have just left the body there, or gotten you! Your room was right there! But I was too caught up in my own paranoid self-righteous bullshit!"

After his outburst, Gorou panted, his clenched fists trembling.

Reijirou swallowed. He was honestly at a loss for words.  _This is not what I was expecting…_

Gorou scowled. "Well? Aren't you going to say anything? It's screwed up, right? What normal person does that?"

"...You were angry, and scared," said Reijirou, his throat dry. "That can make people act irrationally. And in the end, no one else was hurt, so…I think I'm more concerned with how you're dealing with what happened."

"Why? Think I'm gonna kill someone? Gotta check in with me so you can tell Monokuma how close I am to snapping?"

"No?" Reijirou held up his hands in placation. "I haven't told Monokuma anything anyone has told me in confidence. I know I can't exactly prove it, but look. My day job is writing the advice column for a newspaper; being confidential is part of my job."

Gorou eyed him. "I thought you were a counselor."

"I mean I am, technically, according to Monokuma. But I'm still in school," he clarified.

Gorou seemed to be calming down, but he still seemed suspicious. "...How old are you anyway?"

Reijirou answered truthfully. "Twenty-three."

Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, Gorou looked down and muttered, "But…why would he choose you if you're—? That makes no sense!" Looking back up at Reijirou for a moment, Gorou turned and left.

The wave of adrenaline that had been holding Reijirou together since the end of the trial seemed to snap, and as soon as he was alone he sat down in the kitchen floor. It was too much; too many emotionally draining events in one day. Trying to keep his breath steady, he wrapped his arms around his own body and let himself tremble and cry silent tears.

* * *

_"Alright…"_

_It was the night after the first trial. Inside the cabin he once shared with Haruto Hanko, Takeo Ikeda carefully lifted the mattress of his former classmate's bunk. All of the notes were left untouched. The observations might be in code, or unintelligible to some, but they still contained the findings of a puzzle master collected over almost four full days of exploring and pondering._

_"Foolish. All of this information, left here. Information is the key to everything. Let's not let this go to waste…"_

_Ikeda smiled._

" _You won't win. Not until I know everything there is to know about this game…"_

_Chapter 1: "All that Glitters"_

END

_Students remaining: 14_

**Author's Note:**

> Link to FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12906903/1/Danganronpa-The-Penultimate-Students  
> Also, there is a discord server for the story. If you're interested in joining, here's the link: https://discord.gg/P9BSBdp


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